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http://www.archive.org/details/mysteriesofbeekeOOquin 


MYSTERIES 


BEE-KEEPING  EXPLAINED : 


BEING  A  COMPLETE 


ANALYSIS  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT; 


coysssnsG  of 


THE  NATURAL   HISTORY  OF   BEES,  DIEECTIOXS    FOR   OBTAZNIXG   THE  GREAT- 
EST  AMOUNT   OP   PURE   SURPLUS    HONEY  WTTH   THE   LEAST   POSSIBLE 
EXPENSE,  REMEDIES   FOR  LOSSES    GITEX,  AND   THE   SCIENCE   OF 
"  LUCK  "    FtJLI.Y   ILLUSTKATED — THE   RESULT   OF    MORE 
THAN    TWENTY   YEARS'    EXPERIENCE   IN 
EXTENSIVE    APIARIES. 


BY  M.   QUINBY, 

PRACTICAL  BEE-KEEPER. 


NEW   YORK: 

O.     M       SAXTON     &     COMPANY, 

AGRICULTURAL    BOOK    PUBLISHLP-d. 

1857. 


Bitered  ace  xding  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1863,  by 

M. QUINBY, 

m  tlie  Clerk's  OfTice  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Xew  York. 


STBftSOTVPBIt:, 
.    VOR«. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

BRIEF    HISTORY. 


Three  kinds  of  Bees,  ...  9 
Queen  described,  ....  9 
Description  and  Duty  of  Workers,  .     10 


Description  of  Drones, 
Most  Brood  in  Spring, 
Their  Industry,    . 


U 
11 
IS 


CHAPTER   II. 


Hives  to  be  thorouglily  made. 

Different  opinions  about  them, 

The  Author  has  no  Patent  to  recom- 
mend,          

Speculators  supported  long  enough, 

Prefix  of  Patent  a  bad  recommen- 
dation,      ..... 

Ignorance  of  officers  and   commit- 
tees,   

Opposition  to  simplicity,  . 

By  gaining  one  point  produce  ano- 
ther evil,  .  ... 

First  Delusion,  .... 

Chamber  Hive,  .... 

Mrs.  Griffith's  Hive, 

Weeks"  Improvement, 

Inclined    Bottom-boards     do 
throw  out  all  the  worms. 

Objections  to  suspended  hivt-s. 

See  bees  often, 

Hall's  Patent,  . 

Jones's  Patent, 

An  Experiment, 

Reasonof  failure  in  dividing  hive,  . 

Cause  of  starving  in  such  hives. 

Advantages  of  the  changeable  hive 
considered,        .... 

Variation  of  these  hives, 


not 


13  Expense  m    constructmg   change- 

14  able  hives,        .        .        .        .26 
The  surplus  honey  vi'ill  contain  bee- 

14  bread, 26 

15  Description  of  Cutting's  changeable 

hive, 26 

1-5        First  objection  cost  of  construction,     28 
Hives  can  be  made  with  less  ex- 

15  pense, 29 

16  Old  breeding  cells  mill  last  a  long 

time, 29 

16  Cells  larger  than  necessary  at  first,     30 

17  Expense  of  renevring  combs,  .     30 

17  Best  to  use  old  combs  as  long   as 

18  they  vrill  last,  ....     31 

18  Driving  and  Pruning  \vhen  neces- 

sary, .        .        .         •        .    31 

19  Tools  for  Pruning,    ....     32 

19  Use  of  Tobacco  Smoke,  ...     33 

20  Further  objections  to   a    sectional 

21  hive, 34 

21        Non-Swarmers,        .      ' .        .        .35 

21  Contrast  of  profit,    .        .        .         .35 

22  Principle  of  swarming  not  under- 

23  stood 35 

Not  to  be  depended  upon,        .        .    37 

24  Hi  ves  not  always  full  before  swarm- 

25  ing, 81 


CONTENTS 


Size  of  hives  needed,  .37 

An  Esperiraent,  .  .  .  .37 
Bees  do  not  increase  if  full  after  the 

first  year  in  same  hive,  .  .  38 
Gillmore's  system  doubted,  .  .  38 
Utility  of  moth-proof  hives  doubted,  39 
Instincts  of    the    bee   always  the 

.same, 40 

Profit  the  object,  .        .        .41 

Common  hive  recommended,  .  .  42 
Size  Important,  .  .  .  .42 
Small  hives  most  liable  to  accidents,  42 
Apt  to  deceive,  ....  43 
Unprofitable  if  too  large,  .        .     43 

Correct  size  between  two  extremes,  43 
Size  for  warm  latitudes,  .        .     44 

Larger  hives  more  safe  for   long 

Winters  or  baclavard  Spring,  .  44 
2000  inches  safe  for  this  section,     .    45 


Kind  of  Wood,  width  of  Board,  &c. 

4« 

Shape  of  little  consequence,     . 

46 

Directions  for  making  hives,  . 

47 

Size  of  cap  and  boxes,     . 

48 

Miner's  Hive, 

48 

Directions  for  making  holes,    . 

49 

A  Suggestion, 

60 

Glass  boxes  preferred,    . 

61 

Glass  boxes— how  made, 

51 

Guide-combs  necessary, . 

62 

Wood  Boxes, 

53 

Cover  for  Hives,       .... 

54 

Jars  and  Tumblers — how  prepared. 

64 

Perfect   Observatory   Hive   descri- 

bed,    

65 

One  like  Common  Hive  preferred,  . 

56 

What  may  be  seen. 

66 

Directions  for  making  Glass  Hive,  . 

67 

Plate  for  Hive,        .        .         .          . 

61 

C  H  AFTER   II  I, 


BREEDING. 


Imperfectly  Undertsood,  .    62 

Good  stocks  seldom  without  brood,  63 
How  small  stocks  commence,  .  64 
Different  with  larger  ones,  .  .  65 
How  Pollen  is  stored  in  the  breeding 

season, 65 

Operation  of  Laying,  and  the  Eggs 

described,  .        .         .        .66 

Time  from  the  Egg  to  the  perfect  Bee,  67 
Rough  treatment  of  the  young  Bee,     67 

Guess-work, 68 

Terms  applied  to  young  Bees,  .    69 

Discrepancy  in  time  in  rearing  brood 

as  given  by  Huber,  .  .  .70 
The  number  of  Eggs  deposited  by 

the  Queen  guessed  at,       .        .     71 


A  test  for  the  presence  of  a 
Queen,       .        ■        .        .        . 

When  Drones  are  reared. 

When  Queens,  .... 

Liability  of  being  destroyed,   . 

Drones  destroyed  when  honey  is 
scarce, 

Old  Queen  leaves  with    the    first 

swarm, 78 

A  young  Queen  takes  the  place  of 
her  mother  in  the  old  stock. 

Other  Theories,         .... 

Subject  not  understood,    . 

Necessity  for  further  observa- 
tion,   

Two  sides  of  the  question. 


C  HAPTE  R   I  V. 


BEE   PASTURAGE. 


Substitute  for  Pollen, 
Manner  of  packing  it,      . 
Alder  yields  the  first. 
Fruit  Flowers  important   in  good 
weather,  .... 


Red  Raspberry  a  favorite. 
Catnip,    Mother-wort,     and    Hoar 

hound,  are  sought  after,  . 
Singular  fatality  atteudant  on  Silk 

weed,       .... 


CONTENTS, 


Large  yielA  from  Basswood,    .        .     96 
Garden  Flowers  unimportant,  .     9" 

Honey-de\v,     .       _.        .        .        .9" 

Singular  Secretion 98 

Secretions  of  ■•t' Aphis,  .  .98 

Advantages  of  Buckwheat,     .        .  101 
Amotint  of  honey  collected    from 
it,      .....        .  101 

Do  Bees  injure  the  crop  '  .        .        .  102 
Are  not  Bees  an  advantage  to  vege- 
tation?       103 

A  test  for  the  presence  of  Queen 
doubted, 106 


An  extra  quantity  of  Pollen  not 
always  detrimental,         .        .  107 

What  combs  are  generally  free 
from  Bee-bread,        .        .        .  108 

Manner  of  packing  stores,       .        .  108 

Philosophy    in    filling    a  cell  with 

honey, 109 

Long  cells  sometimes  turned  up- 
ward,         110 

Is  a  dry  or  wet  season  best  for 
honey? lU 

How  many  Stocks  should  be  kept,  .  112 

Three  principal  sources  of  honey,   .  112 


CHAPTE  R    V. 


Is  Pollen  converted  into  Wax  ? 
How  is  it  obtained  ?         .        .        . 
Huber's   account  of  a  commence- 
ment of  comb,  .        .        .        . 


115 
115 


111 


Best  time  to  witness  comb-making,  118 


Manner  of  working  Wax, 


Are  crooked  Combs  a  disadvantage  ?  120 
Uncertainty  in  weight  of  Bees,        .  122 
Some  wax  \vasted,                           .  124 
Water   necessary    in    Comb-mak- 
ing,     124 

.  126 


.  119        Remarks, 


CHAPTER   VI. 

PROPOLIS. 


What  used  for,         ....  128 
Is  it  an  elaborate  or  natural  sub- 
•tance  ? 129 


Huber's  Opinion, 
Further  Proof, 
Remarks, 


129 
129 
132 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE   APIARY. 


Its  location, 132 

Decide  Early, 133 

Bees  mark  their  location  on  leaving 

the  hive, 134 

Changing    stand     attended     with 

loss, 134 

Can  be  taken  some  distance,  .  .  135 
Danger  of  setting  Stocks  too  close,    135 


Space  between  Hives,    .        .        .  136 
Small  Matters,  .        .        .        .136 

Economy, 137 

Cheap  arrangement  of  stands,  .  138 

Canal  Bottom-board  discarded,        .  139 
Some  advantage  in  being  near  the 

earth 139 

Utility  of  Bee-Houses  doubted,        .  141 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   VIII 


Not  properly  understood, 
Improper  Remedies, 
Difficulty  in  deciding, 
Weak  families  inmost  danger, 
Their  Battles,  .... 
Bad  policy  lo  raise  the  Hives, 
Indications  of  Robbers,  . 

A  Duty, 

A  Test 


ROBBERIES. 

.  142  Robbing  usually  commences  on  a 

.  143  %varm  day,        .        .                 .  148 

.  144        Remedies, 149 

.  144  Common  Opinion,     ....  149 

.  146  A  case  in  point,        ....  149 

.  148  Further  Directions,  .        .        .        .150 

.  146  Common  cause  of  commencing,    .     151 

.  147  Spring  the  worst  time,     .         .         .  152 

.  147  No  necessity    to  have  Bees    plun- 
dered in  the  fall,        .        .        .163 


CHAPTER   IX, 

FEEDING  BEES. 


Should  be  a  last  resort,    .        .        .  154 

Care  needed, 154 

Apparent  contradiction  when  feed- 
ing causes  starvation,      .        .  155 
How  long  it  will  do  to  wait  before 
feeding,  ....  156 


Directions  for  feeding. 


Whole    Families    may    desert    the 


Hive,  .... 

Objections  to  general  feeding, 
Arrangement  for  feeding. 
Feeding  to  induce  early  swarms, 
What  may  be  fed,    . 


.  157        Is  candied  honey  injurious  ? 


.  158 
.  159 
.  159 
.  161 
.  162 
.  162 


CHAPTER   X. 

DESTRUCTION   OF   WORMS. 

Some  in  the  best  Stocks,          .         .  164  Objection  Answered,        .        .        .  169 

How  Found, 165  Insufficiency   of   inclined    Bottom- 

A  tool  for  their  destruction,     .  165  board, 169 

Mistaken  Conclusions,      .        .        .167  A     Moth     can     go    where     Bees 

Objections    lo  suspended    Bottom-  can, 170 

board, 167  Trap  to  catch  Worms,      .        .        .  170 

Advantage  of  the  Hive  close  to  the  Box  for  Wren,          ....  171 

board, 168 

CHAPTER   XI. 

PUTTING   ON    AND   TAKING   OFF   BOXES. 

Advantage  of  the  Patent  Vender,    .  172  Time  taken  to  fill  a  box,  .        .        .178 

Time  of  putting  on — Rule,  .  172  When  to  take  off  boxes  part  full,     .178 

Making    holes    after  the    Hive    is  Tobacco  Smoke  preferred  to  Slides,    178 

full, 174  Manner  of  disposing  of  the  Bees  in 

Advantage  of  proper  arrangement,  174  the  boxes,  ....  179 

Directions  for  boring  holes  in  full  Bees  disposed  to  carry  away  honey,   179 

Stock, 176  Not  disposed  to  sting,       .        .        .  180 

To  be  taken  off  when  filled,     .        .177  Rule, 18] 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

SECURING    HONEY    FROM    THE    MOTH. 


Two  things  to  be  prevented,  .  .  181 
Apt  to  be  deceived  about  the  Worms,  182 
Their  progress  described,  .  .  182 
A  Sohition  offered,    .        .        .        .183 


Method  of  killing  Worms  in  boxes,  .  185 
Freezing  destroys  them,  .        .        .  186 
Objection  to  using  Boxes  before  the 
Hive  is  full,       .        .        .        .187 


CHAPTER    XIII 

SWARMING. 


Time  to  expect  them,  .  .  .  187 
All  Bee-Keepers  should  understand 

it  as  it  is, 188 

Means  of  understanding  it,  .  .  188 
Inverting  a  stock  rather  formidable 

at  first, 189 

Requisites    before     preparation   of 

Queen's  cells,  ....  189 
State  of  Queen-cell  ^vhen  used,  .  190 
State  when  swarms  issue,  .  .  190 
Clustering  outside  not  always  to  be 

depended  upon,  .        .        .  191 

Examinations — the  result,        .        .  191 

Remarks, 192 

Conflicting  Theories,  .  .  .  192 
Both    Old  and  Young  leave    with 

swarms, 192 

Cause  of  the  Queen's  inability  to  fly 

suggested,          ....  19.3 
Evidence  of  the  Old  Queen's  leaving,  193 
Mr.   Weeks's  Theory   not  satisfac- 
tory,   194 

Mr.  Miner  not  correct,  .  .  .  195 
Particular  directions  for  testing  the 

matter, 196 

Empty  Hives  to  be  ready,  .  .  197 
Bottom-boards  for  hiving,  .  .  197 
Description  of  swarm  issuing,  .  198 
Manner  of  hiving  can  be  varied,  .  199 
Usual  Methods,  .  .  .  .199 
When  out  of  reach,  .         .  200 

When  they  cannot  be  shaken  ofi",     .  202 
All  should  be  made  to  enter,    .        .  203 
Should  be  taken  to  the  stand  imme- 
diately,     .        .  .        .  203 


Protection    from    the  Sun    neces- 
sary,   203 

Clustering  Bushes,  ....  204 
How  swarms  are  generally  man- 
aged that  leave  for  the  woods,  205 
Nothing  but  Bees  needed  in  a  Hive,  206 
Seldom  go  off  without  clustering,  .  207 
Do  swarms  choose  a  location  before 

swarming?  ....  207 
Means  of  arresting  a  swarm,  .  .  208 
Some  Compulsion,  ....  208 
How  far  will  they  go  m  search  of 

a  home  ?     .        .        .        .  209 

Two  or    more    swarms    liable    to 

unite, 211 

Disadvantage,  ....  211 

Can  often  be  prevented,  .  .  .  212 
Indications  of  swarming  inside  the 

Hive, 212 

Preventing  a  swarm  issuing  for  a 

time, 213 

To  prevent  swarms    unitmg  with 

those  already  hived,  .  .  213 
When  two  have  united — the  method 

of  separating,  ....  214 
Ko  danger  of  a  sting  by  the  Queen,  215 
Some    precautions  in    hiving  twro 

swarms  together,      .        .        .  216 
How  to  find  Queen  when  two  stran- 
gers are  together,      .        .        .  217 
Boxes   for  double  swarms   imme- 
diately,       218 

Returning  a  part  to  the  old  stock,  .  218 
Method  of  imiting,  ....  219 
When  care  is  necessary,  .        .  2W 


8 


CONTENTS 


Swarm-Catcher 

Swarms  sometimes  return, 

Repetition  prevented, 

Liability  to  enter  wrong  stocks, 

First  issues  generally   choose  fair 
weather,    . 

After  Swarms, 

Their  Size, 

Time  after  the  first,  . 

Piping  of  the  Queen, 

May  always  be  heard  belbre  an 
after  swarm,     . 

Time  of  continuance  varies, 

Time  between  second  and  third  is- 
sues,   

Not  always  to  be  depended  upon,    . 

A  Rule  for  the  time  of  these  issues, 


220        When  it  is  useless  to  expect  more 
222  swarms, 229 

222  Plurality  of  Queens  destroyed,        .  229 

223  The  Manner, 230 

Theory  doubted,       .        .        .        .231 

224  After-swarms  difl'erent  in   appear- 

225  ance  trom  llie  first,  when  about 

225  to  issue, 232 

225        Time  of  day,  weather,  &c.,     .        .  233 

225  Swarms  necessary  to  be  seen,  233 
Returning  after-swarms  to  the  old 

226  stock,         ....  235 

226  When  they  should  be  returned,       .  235 
Method  of  doing  it,  ...  235 

227  More  care  needed  by  After -swarms 

227  when  hived,      ....  237 

228  Two  may  be  united,  .        .        .237 


CHAPTER    XIV 

LOSS   OF   QUEENS. 
Of  swarms  that  lose  their  Queen,     .238        The  Result, 


A  suggestion  and  an  answer,  .        .  239 
A  disputed  question,        .        .        .  240 
A  multitude  of  Drones  needed,        .  241 
The  Queen  liable  to  be  lost  in  her  ex- 
cursions,     243 

T^e  time  when  it  occurs,  .        .  243 

Indications  of  the  loss,     .        .         .  244 


.  246 

Age  of  Bees  indicated,  .  .  .  246 
Xecessity  of  care,  ....  246 
Remedy,  .  ....  247 

Mark  the  date  of  swarms  on  the  Hive,  248 
Obtaining    a    Queen   from   worker 

brood, 249 

They  are  poor  dependence,      .        .  249 


CHAPTER    XV 


Principles  should  be  understood, 
Some  Experiments, 
The  result  unsalist'actory, 
Further  Experiments. 
A  successful  method, 
Advantages  of  this  method,     . 
Artificial  swarms  only  safe  near  the 
swarming  season.     . 


ARTIFICIAL    SWAKMS. 

252  Sometimes  hazardous.     . 

253  Some  Objections, 

253  Natural      and      artificial     si 

254  equally  prosperous,  . 

256  This    matter     too     often      delay- 

257  ed, 261 

Is    the    age    of   the  Queen  impor- 

■>5'.i  tant? 261 


269 
259 


260 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

PRU.MNG. 
Different  opinions  as  to  time,  .         .  262        Objection  to  Pruning, 


254 


Another  time  preferred, 
Should  not  b«  delayed, 


263 
263 


Stocks   pruned  now  are  better  for 
winter,      ....  26ft 


C  O  X  T  E  X  T  S  , 


CHAPTER    XVII 


Not  generally  understood, 
ily  owTi  experience, 
Description  of  Disease,    . 
The  cause  uncertain, 
Kemedial  Experiments,    . 
Public  inquiry  and  answers, 
Answers  not  salisfactory, 
A  cause  suggested, 
Reasons  for  the  opinion,  . 
Cause  of  its  spreading,     . 


DISEASED  BROOD. 

266  Xot  easily  detected  a  '•first,      .        .  274 

267  Syniploins  to  be  observed,       .        .  274 

267  Scalding  the  honey  to  destroy  the 

268  poison  for  feeding,     .        .        .  276 
268  When  to  examine  stocks  that  have 
26S  swarmed,  .        .276 
270  Care   in    selecting    stock-hives  for 

270  winter, 276 

272  Accusations  not  always  right,        .  676 


CHAPTER    XVIII 


IRRITABILITY    OF    BEES. 


Their  means  of  defence.                   .  277 

Time  of  greatest  Irritability,  .        .  278 

Proper  Conduct,        ....  278 

How  to  proceed  when  attacked,     .  279 
A    person's   breath    offensive,  and 

other  causes,     ....  279 

Their  manner  of  attack.          .        .  279 


Smoker  described,    . 

.  280 

Effect  of  Tobacco  Smoke, 

.  281 

Sting  described. 

.  282 

Does  its  loss  prove  fatal  ? 

.  283 

Means  of  protection. 

.  284 

Remedies  for  stings, 

.  286 

CHAPTER    XIX. 


ENEMIES    OF    BEES 


Are  they  all  guilty  ?  .  .  .  286 
Rats  and  Mice,  ....  287 

Are  all  the  Birds  guilty  ?  .        .  288 

King-bird — one  word  in  his  favor,  .  288 
Cat-bird  acquitted,  .         .  .  289 

Toad  got  clear 290 

Wasps  and  Hornets  not  lavored,  .  290 
Ants — a  word  in  their  favor,  .  .  291 
Spider  condemned,  .        .        .  292 

Wax-Moth  unrivalled  for  miscliief,  293 
Indications  of  their  presence,  .  296 

Management, 296 

Care  in  turning  over  Hives,   .         .  297 


Other  symptoms  of  Worms,     .        .  298 
When  they  grow  larger  than  usual,  299 

Time  oi  Growth 299 

Time  of  Transformation,  .  300 

Freezing  destroys  Worms,  Cocoon, 

and  Moth 30O 

How  they  pass  the  Winter,     .         .  801 
Stocks  more  liable  to  be  destroyed 

last  of  Summer,        .        .         .  301 
When  Bees  are  safe,         .        .        .  302 
Means  to  destroy  them,  .        .         .  302 
Making  them  drtmk  and  their  execu- 
tion by  Cliickens,       .        .        .  303 


The  Cause, 
Effects, 


CH  A  P  T  E  R    XX. 

MELTING   DOWN    OF   COMBS. 

.  804        First  Indications, 
.  304        Prevention. 


306 
SOX. 


10 


C  0  X  T  R  N  T  S 


CHAPTEK    XXI 

FALL    MANAGEMENT. 


First  Care, 307 

Strong  Stocks  disposed  to  plunder,  307 
Bees  Changeable,  .  .  .  .308 
Requisites  for  good  Stocks,  .  .  308 
Great  disadvantage  of  killing  the 

Bees, 309 

Section  of  country  may  make  a  dit"- 
ference   in   what   poor    stocks 

need, 309 

When  Bees  are  needed,  .        .        .  310 

Caution, 311 

Principal  Difficulty.  .        .        .311 

How  Avoided,  ....  311 

Advantages  of   making  one   good 

stock  from  two  poor  ones,         .  312 
Two  families  together  will  not  con- 
sume as  much  as  if  separate,  .  312 


An  Experiment,  .  813 

Season  for  operating,  .         .  313 

The  Fumigator,  .  .  .  .314 
Directions  for  uniting  two  families,  315 
Uniting  with  Tobacco  Smoke,  .  317 

Condition  of  Stocks  in  1851,  .  .318 
How  they  w^ere  managed,  .  *.  318 
Cause  of  their  superior  Thrift,  .  319 

Swarms  partly  filled  pay  better  than 

to  cut  out  the  honey,  .  .  320 
Advantages  in  transferring,  .  .  320 
Another    method  of    uniting    two 

families, 321 

Uniting  Comb  and  Honey  as  well  as 

Bees, 322 

When  feeding  should   be  done  for 

Stock  Hives,      .         .         .         .  32J 


CHAPTER    XXII 


WINTERING    BEES. 


Different  methods  have  been  adopt- 
ed,       325 

The  idea  of  Bees  not  freezing  lias 

led  to  errors  in  practice,    .        .  326 
Appearance  of  Bees  in  cold  wea- 
ther,   32r> 

How  part  of  the  swarm  is  frozen,  .  327 
How  a  small  tamily  may  all  freeze,  327 
Frost   and   Ice  sometimes  smother 

Bees 328 

Frost  and  Ice  in  a  Hive  accounted 

for, 329 

The  effect  of  Ice  or  Frost  on  Bees 

and  Comb,  .  .  .  .330 
Frost  may  cause  starvation,  .  .  330 
Other  Difficulties,  .  .  .  .330 
Further  Illustrations,  .  .  .332 
Accumulation  of  Faeces  described 

by  some  writers  as  a  disease,  .  336 
The  Author's  remedy,       .        .        .  337 

Burying  Bees 387 

Fjcperimenis  of  the  Author  to  get 

rid  of  the  Frost,  .  .  .838 
Success  in  this  matter,     .        .        .  338 


Bees  when  in  the  house  should  be 

kept  perfectly  dark,  .  .  .339 
A  room  made  for  wintering  Bees,  .  339 
Manner  of  stowing  away  Hives,  .  340 
Temperature  of  room,  .  .  .  341 
Too  much  Honey  may  sometimes  be 

stored, 342 

Management      of     room    towards 

Spring, 342 

Time  for  setting  out  Bees,         .        .  343 
Not  too  many  stocks  taken  out  at 

once, 343 

Families  may  be  equalized,     .        .  344 
Snow  need  not  always  prevent  car- 
rying out  Bees,  .        .        .  344 
Does  not  Analogy  prove  that  Bees 

should  be  kept  warm  in  Winter  f  345 
The  next  best  place  for  wintering 

Bees, 346 

Evils  of  wintering  in  the  open  air 

considered,         ....  347 
But  little  risk  with  good  stocks,       .  348 
Effect  of  keeping  second-rate  stocks 
out  of  the  sun,  .        ,  .348 


CONTENTS 


11 


Effects  of  Snow  considered,     .  349 

Slocks  to  be  protected  on  some  oc- 
casions,     .        .  .        .  350 


Do  the  Bees  eat  more  waen  allowed 
to  come  out  occasionally  in  Win- 


ter ? 


352 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

SAGACITY    OF     BEES. 

Are  not  Bees  directed  alone  by  in-  Mending  broken  Combs,  .        .        .  354 

stinct? 353        Making  passages  to  every  part  of 

What  they  do  with  Propolis,   .        .  353  their  Combs,      .        .        .        .355 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

STRAINING     HONEY    AND    WAX. 

Methods  of  removing  Combs  from  Different  modes  of  straining  Honey,  358 

the  Hive, 35V        GettiiigoutWax— different  methods,  360 

C  HAPTER    XXV. 

PURCHASING   STOCKS   AND   TRANSPORTING   BEES. 

Why  the  word  luck  is  applied  to  Size  of  Hives  important,  .        .  367 

Bees, 362  How  large    Hives    can    be    made 

Rule  in  taking  Bees  for  a  share,      .  364  smaller, 368 

A  man  may  sell  his  "luck,"  .        .  364  Moderate  \veather  best  to  remove 

First-rate  stocks  recommended    to  Bees, 369 

begin  with,        ....  365  Preparations  for  transporting  Bees,  370 

Old   stocks    are   good    as    any    if  Securing  Bees  in  the  Hive,      .        .  370 

healthy, 365  Best  Conveyance,     .        .        .        .370 

Caution  respecting  diseased  brood,     366  Hive  to  be  inverted,         .        .        .  371 

Result  of  ignorance  in  purchasing,    366  Conclusion. 372 


PREFACE. 


Befoee  the  reader  decides  that  an  apology  is  ne- 
cessary for  the  introduction  of  another  work  on  bees 
into  the  presence  of  those  already  before  the  public, 
it  is  hoped  that  he  will  have  the  patience  to  examine 
the  contents  of  this. 

The  writer  of  the  following  pages  commenced  bee- 
keeping in  1828,  without  any  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness to  assist  him,  save  a  few  directions  about  hiving, 
smoking  them  with  sulphur,  &c.  ISrearl}'  all  the  in- 
formation to  be  had  was  so  mingled  with  erroneous 
whims  and  notions,  that  it  required  a  long  experience 
to  separate  essential  and  consistent  points.  It  was 
impossible  to  procure  a  work  that  gave  the  information 
necessary  for  practice.  From  that  time  to  the  present, 
no  sufficient  guide  for  the  inexperienced  has  appeared. 
European  works,  republished  here,  are  of  but  little 
value.  Weeks,  Townley,  Miner,  and  others,  writers 
of  this  country,  within  a  few  years,  have  given  us 
treatises,  valuable  to  some  extent,  but  have  entirely 
neglected  several  chapters,  very  important  and  essen- 
tial to  the  beginner.     Keeping  bees  has  been,  and  is 


2  PREFACE. 

now,  by  the  majority,  deemed  a  hazardous  enterprise 
The  ravages  of  the  moth  had  been  so  great,  and  loss 
so  frequent,  that  but  little  attention  was  given  to  the 
subject  for  along  time.  Mr.  Weeks  lost  his  entire  stock 
three  times  in  twenty-five  years.  But  soon  after  the 
discovery  was  promulgated,  that  honey  could  be  taken 
from  a  stock  without  destroying  the  bees,  an  addi- 
tional attention  was  manifest,  increasing  to  a  rage  in 
many  places.  It  seems  to  be  easily  understood,  that 
profit  must  attend  success,  in  this  branch  of  the  farm 
er's  stock  ;  inasmuch  as  the  "  bees  work  for  nothing 
and  find  themselves."  This  interest  in  bees  should  be 
encouraged  to  continue  till  enough  are  kept  to  collect 
all  the  honey  now  wasted  ;  which,  compared  with  the 
present  collections,  would  be  more  than  a  thousand 
pounds  to  one.  But  to  succeed,  that  is  the  difficulty. 
Some  eighteen  years  since,  after  a  propitious  season, 
an  aged  and  esteemed  friend  said  to  me,  "  It  is  not  to 
be  expected  that  you  will  have  such  luck  always ;  you 
must  expect  the}^  will  run  out  after  a  time.  I  have 
always  noticed,  when  people  have  first-rate  luck  for  a 
time,  that  the  bees  generally  take  a  turn,  and  are  gone 
in  a  few  years." 

I  am  not  sure  but,  to  the  above  remarks,  may  be 
traced  the  cause  of  my  subsequent  success.  It  stimu- 
lated me  to  observation  and  inquiry.  I  soon  found 
that  good  seasons  were  the  "lucky"  ones,  and  that 
many  lost  in  an  adverse  season,  all  they  had  before 
gained.  Also,  that  strong  families  were  the  only  ones 
on  which  I  could  depend  for  protection  against  the 
moth.     This  induced  the  effort  to  ascertain  causes 


PREFACE.  3 

tending  to  diminish  the  size  of  families,  and  the  appli- 
cation of  remedies.  "WTiether  success  has  attended  my 
efforts  or  not,  the  reader  can  judge,  after  a  perusal  of 
the  work. 

It  is  time  that  the  word  "ZwcZ:,"  as  applied  to  bee- 
keeping, was  discarded.  The  prevailing  opinion,  that 
bees  will  prosper  for  one  person  more  than  another, 
under  the  same  circumstances,  is  fallacious.  As  well 
might  it  be  apphed  to  the  mechanic  and  farmer.  The 
careless,  ignorant  farmer,  might  occasionally  succeed 
in  raising  a  crop  with  a  poor  fence ;  but  would  be  lia- 
ble, at  any  time,  to  lose  it  by  trespassing  cattle.  He 
might  have  suitable  soil  in  the  beginning,  but  without 
knowledge,  for  the  proper  application  of  manures,  it 
might  fail  to  produce  ;  unless  a  chance  application  hap- 
pened to  be  right. 

But  with  the  intelligent  farmer  the  case  is  different : 
fences  in  order,  manures  judiciously  applied,  and  with 
propitious  seasons,  he  makes  a  sure  thing  of  it.  Call 
him  "  lucky'''  if  you  please;  it  is  his  knowledge,  and 
care,  that  render  him  so.  So  with  bee-keeping,  the 
careful  man  is  the  "lucky"  one.  There  can  be  no 
effect  without  a  preceding  cause.  If  you  lose  a  stock 
of  bees,  there  is  a  cause  or  causes  producing  it,  just  as 
certain  as  the  failure  of  a  crop  with  the  unthrifty  farm- 
er, can  be  traced  to  a  poor  fence,  or  unfruitful  soil. 
You  may  rest  assured,  that  a  rail  is  off  your  fence  of 
management  somewhere,  or  the  proper  applications 
have  not  been  made.  In  relation  to  bees,  these  things 
may  not  be  quite  so  apparent,  yet  nevertheless  true. 
Why  is  there  so  much  more  uncertainty  in  apiarian 


4  PREFACE. 

science  than  other  farming  operations?  It  must  be 
attributed  to  the  fact,  that  among  the  thousands  who 
are  engaged  in,  and  have  studied  agriculture,  perhaps 
not  more  than  one  has  given  his  energies  to  the  nature 
and  habits  of  bees.  If  knowledge  is  elicited  in  the 
same  ratio,  we  ought  to  have  a  thousand  times  more 
light  on  one  subject  than  the  other,  and  still  there  are 
some  things,  even  in  agriculture,  that  may  yet  be 
learned. 

It  is  supposed,  by  many,  that  we  already  have  all 
the  knowledge  that  the  subject  of  hees  affords.  This 
is  not  surprising ;  a  person  that  was  never  furnished 
with  a  full  treatise,  might  arrive  at  such  conclusions. 
Unless  his  own  experience  goes  deeper,  he  can  have 
no  means  of  judging  what  is  yet  behind. 

In  conversation  relative  to  this  work,  with  a  person 
of  considerable  scientific  attainments,  he  remarked, 
"You  do  not  want  to  give  the  natural  history  of  bees 
at  all ;  that  is  already  sufficiently  understood."  And 
how  is  it  understood;  as  Huber  gives  it,  or  in  accord- 
ance Avith  some  of  our  own  writers  ?  If  we  take  Huber 
as  a  guide,  we  find  many  points  recently  contradicted. 
If  we  compare  authors  of  our  day,  we  find  them  con- 
tradicting each  other.  One  recommends  a  peculiarly 
constructed  hive,  as  just  the  thing  adapted  to  their 
uature  and  instincts.  If  a  single  point  is  in  accordance 
with  their  nature,  he  labors  to  twist  all  the  others  to 
his  purpose,  although  it  may  involve  a  fundamental 
principle  impossible  to  reconcile.  Some  one  else  suc- 
ceeds in  another  point,  and  proceeds  to  recommend 
something  altogether  different.     False  and  contradic- 


PREFACE.  5 

tory  assertions  are  made  either  through  ignorance,  or 
interest.  Interest  may  blind  the  judgment,  and  spu- 
rious history  may  deceive. 

It  is  folly  to  expect  success  in  bee-keeping  for  any 
length  of  time,  without  a  correct  knowledge  of  their 
nature  and  instincts;  and  this  we  shall  never  obtain 
by  the  course  hitherto  pursued.  As  much  of  their 
labor  is  performed  in  the  dark,  and  difficult  to  be  ob- 
served, it  has  given  rise  to  conjecture  and  false  rea- 
soning, leading  to  false  conclusions. 

When  /  say  a  thing  is  so,  or  say  it  is  7iot  so,  what 
evidence  has  the  reader  that  it  is  proved  or  demon- 
strated ?  My  mere  assertions  are  not  expected  to  be 
taken  in  preference  to  another's  ;  of  such  proof,  we  have 
more  than  enough.  Most  people  have  not  the  time, 
patience,  or  ability,  to  set  down  quietly  with  close  ob- 
servation, and  investigate  the  subject  thoroughly. 
Hence  it  has  been  found  easier  to  receive  error  for 
truth,  than  to  make  the  exertion  necessary  to  confute 
it ;  the  more  so,  because  there  is  no  guide  to  direct 
the  investigation.  I  shall,  therefore,  pursue  a  dijffer- 
ent  course;  and  for  every  assertio7i endeavor  to  give  a 
test,  that  the  reader  may  apply  and  satisfy  himself, 
and  trust  to  no  one.  As  for  \heories,  I  shall  try  to 
keep  them  separate  from  facts,  and  offer  such  evidence 
as  I  have,  either  for  or  against  them.  If  the  reader 
has  further  proof  that  presents  the  matter  in  another 
light,  of  course  he  will  exercise  the  right  to  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion. 

,,;I  could  give  a  set  of  rules  for  practice,  and  be  very 
brief,  but  this  would  be  unsatisfactory.     When  we  are 
1* 


6  PREFACE. 

told  a  thing  must  be  done,  most  of  us,  like  the  "inquis- 
itive Yankee,"  have  a  desire  to  know  why  it  is  neces- 
sary ;  and  then  like  to  know  how  to  do  it.  This  gives 
us  confidence  that  we  are  right.  Hence,  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  give  the  practical  part,  in  as  close  connec- 
tion with  the  natural  history,  that  dictates  it,  as  pos- 
sible. 

This  work  will  contain  several  chapters  entirely 
new  to  the  public :  the  result  of  my  own  experience, 
that  will  be  of  the  utmost  value  to  all  who  desire  to 
realize  the  greatest  possible  advantages  from  their 
bees. 

The  additions  to  chapters  already  partially  discussed 
by  others,  will  contain  much  original  matter  not  to  be 
found  elsewhere.  When  many  stocks  are  kept,  the 
chapter  on  "  Loss  of  Queens,"  alone,  will,  with  atten- 
tion, save  to  any  one,  not  in  the  secret,  enough  in  one 
season  to  be  worth  more  in  value  than  many  times 
the  cost  of  this  work.  The  same  might  be  said  of 
those  on  diseased  brood,  artificial  swarms,  wintering 
bees,  and  many  others. 

If  such  a  work  could  have  been  placed  in  my  hands 
twenty  years  ago,  I  should  have  realized  hundreds  of 
dollars  by  the  information.  But  instead  of  this,  my 
course  has  been,  first  to  suffer  a  loss,  and  then  find 
out  the  remedy,  or  preventive ;  from  which  the  reader 
may  be  exempt,  as  I  can  confidently  recommend  these 
directions. 

Another  new  feature  will  be  found  in  the  duties  of 
each  season  being  kept  by  itself,  commencing  with  the 
spring  and  ending  with  the  winter  management. 


PREFACE.  7 

In  mj  anxiety  to  be  understood  by  all  classes  of 
readers,  I  am  aware  that  I  have  made  the  elegant  con- 
struction and  arrangement  of  sentences  of  secondary 
importance;  therefore  justly  liable  to  criticism.  But 
to  the  reader,  whose  object  is  information  on  this  sub- 
ject, it  can  be  of  but  little  consequence. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  first  editions  of  thL« 
treatise,  the  writer  has  left  Coxsackie  in  Greene  Co., 
for  St.  Johnsville,  ]\Ioutgomery  Co.,  IST.  Y. 

During  the  past  season,  the  author  and  a  few  neigh- 
bors who  manage  according  to  his  system,  have  fur- 
nished for  market  over  20,000  pounds  of  box-honey. 
This  fact  has  been  noticed,  and  copied  extensively  in 
the  newspapers,  as  something  remarkable,  awakening 
much  curiosity.  As  his  address  was  given  in  connec- 
tion, he  has  been  beset  with  letters  of  inquiry  as  to 
what  system  of  bee -culture  was  pursued,  from  those 
who  are  not  aware  of  the  existence  of  this  work.  It 
is  impossible  to  answer  in  detail  by  letter ;  but  in  this 
volume  every  question,  with  many  others,  have  been 
anticipated  and  fully  discussed.  Since  the  above  date 
of  the  first  edition,  he  has  had  the  experience  of  several 
additional  years,  which  have  suggested  no  important 
alteration  or  addition.  So  many  have  tested  the  prac- 
ticability of  his  system  with  such  uniform  success, 
that  he  again  offers  it  to  the  public  with  increased 
confidence. — jSL  Johnsville,  N.  Y.,  January,  1857. 

M.  QUINBY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  BRIEF  HISTORY. 
THREE  KINDS  OF    BEES. 


Every  prosperous  swarm,  or  family  of  bees,  must 
"contain  one  queen,  several   thousand  workers,  and, 
part  of  the  year,  a  few  hundred  drones. 


QUEEN.  WORKER.  DROXK. 

QUEEN    DESCRIBED. 

The  queen  is  the  mother  of  the  entire  family ;  her 
duty  appears  to  be  only  to  deposit  eggs  in  the  cells. 
Her  abdomen  has  its  full  size  very  abruptly  where  it 
joins  the  trunk  or  body,  and  then  gradually  tapers  to 
a  point.  She  is  longer  than  either  the  drones  or 
workers,  but  her  size,  in  other  respects,  is  a  medium 
between  the  two.  In  shape  she  resembles  the  worker 
more  than  the  drone ;  and,  like  the  worker,  has  a 
sting,  but  will  not  use  it  for  anything  below  royalty. 

D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 

North  Carolina  State  Coilege 


10  A   BRIEF   HISTORY. 

She  is  nearly  destitute  of  down,  or  hairs ;  a  very  little 
may  be  seen  about  her  head  and  trunk.  This  gives 
her  a  dark,  shining  appearance,  on  the  upper  side — • 
some  are  nearl}^  black.  Her  legs  are  somewhat  longer 
than  those  of  a  worker ;  the  two  posterior  ones,  and 
the  under  surface,  are  often  of  a  bright  copper  color. 
In  some  of  them  a  yellow  stripe  nearly  encircles  the 
abdomen  at  the  joints,  and  meets  on  the  back.  Her 
wings  are  about  the  same  as  the  workers,  but  as  her 
abdomen  is  much  longer,  they  only  reach  about  two- 
thirds  the  length  of  it.  For  the  first  few  days  after 
leaving  the  cell,  her  size  is  much  less  than  after  she  ^ 
has  assumed  her  maternal  duties.  She  seldom,  per- 
haps never,  leaves  the  hive,  except  when  leading  a 
swarm,  and  when  but  a  few  days  old,  to  meet  the 
drones,  in  the  air,  for  the  purpose  of  fecundation. 
The  manner  of  the  queen's  impregnation  is  yet  a  dis- 
puted point,  and  probably  never  witnessed  by  any 
one.  The  majority  of  close  observers,  I  believe,  are 
of  opinion  that  the  drones  are  the  males,  and  that 
sexual  connection  takes  place  in  the  air,*  performing 
their  amours  while  on  the  wing,  like  the  humble-bee 
and  some  other  insects.  It  appears  that  one  impreg- 
nation is  operative  during  lier  life,  as  old  queens  are 
not  afterwards  seen  coming  out  for  that  purpose. 

nESCRIPTION    AND    DUTY    OF    WORKERS. 

As  all  labor  devolves  on  the  workers,  they  are  pro- 

*  The  objectors  to  this  hypothesis  will  be  generally  found  among 
those  who  are  unable  to  give  a  more  plausible  elucidation.  Those 
who  oppose  the  fact  that  one  bee  is  the  mother  of  the  whole  family, 
will  probably  be  in  the  same  class. 


A   BRIEF   HISTORY.  11 

vided  with  a  sack,  or  bag,  for  honey.  Basket-Hke 
cavities  are  on  their  legs,  where  they  pack  the  pollen 
of  flowers  into  little  pellets,  convenient  to  bring  home. 
They  are  also  provided  with  a  sting,  and  a  virulent 
poison,  although  they  will  not  use  it  abroad  when  un- 
molested, but,  if  attacked,  will  generally  defend  them- 
selves sufficient  to  escape.  They  range  the  fields 
for  honey  and  pollen,  secrete  wax,  construct  combs, 
prepare  food,  nurse  the  young,  bring  water  for  the  use 
of  the  community,  obtain  propolis  to  seal  up  all  crev- 
ices about  the  hive,  stand  guard,  and  keep  out  intru- 
ders, robbers,  &c.,  &c. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    DRONES. 

When  the  family  is  large  and  honey  abundant, 
a  brood  of  drones  is  reared ;  the  number,  probably, 
depends  on  the  yield  of  honey,  and  size  of  the  swarm, 
more  than  anything  else.  As  honey  becomes  scarce, 
they  are  destroyed.  Their  bodies  are  large  and  rather 
clumsy,  covered  with  short  hairs  or  bristles.  Their 
abdomen  terminates  very  abruptly,  without  the  sym- 
metry of  the  queen  or  worker.  Their  buzzing,  when 
on  the  wing,  is  louder,  and  altogether  different  from 
the  others.  They  seem  to  be  of  the  least  value  of 
any  in  the  hive.  Perhaps  not  more  than  one  in  a 
thousand  is  ever  called  upon  to  perform  the  duty  for 
which  they  were  designed.  Yet  they  assist,  on  some 
occasions,  to  keep  up  the  animal  heat  necessary  in 
the  old  hive  after  a  swarm  has  left. 

MOST    BROOD    IN    SPRING. 

In  spring  and  first  of  summer,  when  nearly  all  the 


12  A   BRIEF   HISTORY. 

combs  are  empty,  and  food  abundant,  they  rear  brood 
more  extensively  tlian  at  any  other  period,  (towards 
fall  more  combs  are  filled  with  honey,  giving  less 
room  for  brood.)  The  hive  soon  becomes  crowded 
with  bees,  and  royal  cells  are  constructed,  in  which 
the  queen  deposits  her  eggs.  When  some  of  these 
young  queens  are  advanced  sufficiently  to  be  sealed 
over,  the  old  one,  and  the  greater  part  of  her  subjects, 
leave  for  a  new  location,  (termed  swarming.)  They 
soon  collect  in  a  cluster,  and,  if  put  into  an  empty 
hive,  commence  anew  their  labors ;  constructing 
combs,  rearing  brood,  and  storing  honey,  to  be  aban-; 
doned  on  the  succeeding  year  for  another  tenement. 
One  in  a  hundred  may  do  it  the  same  season,  if  the 
hive  is  filled  and  crowded  again  in  time  to  warrant 
it.     Only  large  early  swarms  do  this. 

THEIR    INDUSTRY. 

Industry  belongs  to  their  nature.  When  the  flow- 
ers yield  honey,  and  the  weather  is  fine,  they  need  no 
impulse  from  man  to  perform  their  part.  When  their 
tenement  is  supplied  with  all  things  necessary  to  reach 
another  spring,  or  their  store-house  full,  and  no  neces- 
sity or  room  for  an  addition,  and  we  supply  them  with 
more  space,  they  assiduously  toil  to  fill  it  up.  Eather 
than  to  waste  time  in  idleness,  during  a  bounteous 
yield  of  honey,  they  have  been  known  to  deposit  their 
surplus  in  combs  outside  the  hive,  or  under  the  stand. 
This  natural  industrious  habit  lies  at  the  foundation 
of  all  the  advantages  in  bee-keeping  ;  consequently 
our  hives  must  be  constructed  with  this  end  in  view  ; 


HIVES.  13 

and  at  the  same  time  not  interfere  witli  other  points 
of  their  nature  ;  but  this  subject  will  be  discussed  in 
the  next  chapter.  Those  peculiar  traits  in  their  na- 
ture, mentioned  in  this,  will  be  more  fully  discussed 
in  di£ferent  parts  of  this  work,  as  they  appear  to  be 
called  for,  and  where  proof  will  be  offered  to  sustain 
the  positions  here  assumed,  which  as  yet  are  nothing 
more  than  mere  assertions. 


CHAPTER    II. 

« 

HIVES. 
HIVES     TO     BE     THOROUGHLY    MADE. 

Hives  should  be  constructed  of  good  materials, 
boards  of  good  thickness,  free  from  flaws  and  cracks, 
well  fitted  and.  thoroughly  nailed. 

The  time  of  making  them  is  not  very  particular, 
providing  it  is  done  in  season.  It  certainly  should  not 
be  put  off  till  the  swarming  period,  to  be  made  as 
wanted,  because  if  they  are  to  be  painted,  it  should  be 
done  as  long  as  possible  before,  as  the  rank  smell  of 
oil  and  paint,  just  applied,  might  be  offensive  to 
the  bees. 

But  what  kind  of  hive  shall  be  made  ? 

In  answer,  some  less  than  a  thousand  forms  have 
been  given.  The  advantages  of  bee-keeping  depend 
as  much  upon  the  construction  of  hives,  as  any  one 
thing;  yet  there  is  no  subject  pertaining  to  them  on 


14  HIVES. 

which  there  is  such  a  variety  of  opinions,  and  I  have 
but  little  hopes  of  reconciling  all  these  conflicting 
views,  opinions,  prejudices,  and  interests. 

DIFFERENT    OPINIONS    ABOUT    THEM. 

One  is  in  favor  of  the  old  box,  and  the  cruel  prac- 
tice of  killing  the  bees  to  obtain  the  honej,  as  the 
only  means  to  obtain  "luck ;"  "  thej  are  sure  to  run  out 
if  they  meddle  with  them."  Another  will  rash  to  the 
opposite  extreme,  and  advocate  all  the  extravagant 
fancies  of  the  itinerant  patent-vender,  as  the  ne  pltts 
ultra  of  all  hives,  when  perhaps  it  would  be  worth 
more  for  fire-wot)d  than  the  apiary. 

THE  AUTHOR  HAS  NO  PATENT  TO  RECOMMEND. 

To  remove  from  the  mind  of  the  reader  all  appre- 
hension that  I  am  about  condemning  one  patent  to 
recommend  another,  I  would  say  in  the  beginning,  that 
I  have  no  2Mte7it  to  2»'cuse,  no  interest  in  deceiving,  and  I 
hope  no  prejudices  to  influence  me,  in  advocating  or 
condemning  any  sj'stem.  I  wish  to  make  bee-keeping 
plain,  simple,  economical,  and  profitable  ;  so  that  when 
we  sum  up  the  profit  "it  shall  not  be  found  in  the 
other  pocket." 

It  is  a  principle  recognized  by  our  statute,  that  no 
person  is  suitable  as  a  Juror,  who  is  biased  either  by 
interest  or  prejudice.  Now  whether  I  am  the  impar-- 
tial  Jurist,  is  not  for  me  to  say :  but  I  wish  to  discuss 
the  subject  fairly.  I  hope  some  few  will  be  enabled  to 
see  their  own  interest :  at  any  rate,  dismiss  prejudice, 


HIVES.  16 

as  far  as  possible,  while  we  examine  wherein  one  cl-ass 
in  community  is  unprofitable  to  bee-keepers. 

SPECULATORS  SUPPORTED  LOXG  EXOUGH. 

We  have  faithfully  supported  a  host  of  speculators 
on  our  business  for  a  long  time  ;  often  not  caring  one 
straw  about  our  success,  after  pocketing  the  fee  of 
successful  "humbuggery."  One  is  no  sooner  gone, 
than  we  are  beset  by  another,  with  something 
altogether  different,  and  of  course  the  acme  of  per- 
fection. 

PREFIX    OF    PATENT    A    BAD   RECOMMElfDATION. 

This  has  been  done  until  the  very  prefix  of  patent, 
or  premium,  attached  to  a  hive,  renders  it  almost 
certain  that  there  must  be  something  deleterious  to 
the  apiarian ;  either  in  expense  of  construction  or 
intricate  and  perplexing  in  management,  requiring 
an  engineer  to  manage,  and  a  skilful  architect  to  con- 
struct. 

What  does  the  American  savage,  who  without 
difficulty  can  track  the  panther  or  wolf,  know  of 
the  principles  of  chemistry  ?  What  does  the  Chemist 
know  of  following  a  track  in  the  forest,  when  nothing 
but  withered  leaves  can  guide  him  ?  Each  understands 
principles,  the  minutiae  of  which  the  other  never 
dreamed. 

IGNORANCE    OF    OFFICERS    AND    COMMITTEES. 

Thus  it  appears  to  be  with  granting  patents  and 
premiums,  if  we  take  what  has   been   patented   and 


16  HIVES. 

praised  by  our  committees  and  officers  as  improvemcDts 
in  bee-culture.  These  men  may  be  capable,  intelligent, 
and  well  fitted  for  their  sphere,  but  in  bee  matters, 
about  as  capable  of  judging,  as  the  Hottentot  would 
be  of  the  merits  of  an  intricate  steam-engine.  Know- 
ledge and  experience  are  the  only  qualifications  com- 
petent to  decide. 

OPPOSITION  TO  SIMPLICITY. 

I  am  aware  that  among  the  thousands  whose  direct 
interest  is  opposed  to  my  simple,  plain  manner  of  get- 
ting along,  many  will  be  ready  to  contend  with  me 
for  every  departure  from  their  patent,  improved  or  pre- 
mium hives,  as  the  case  may  be. 

BY  GAINING  ONE  POINT,  PRODUCE  ANOTHER  EVIL. 

I  think  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  to  show  that  every 
departure  from  simplicity  to  gain  one  point,  is  attend- 
ed in  another  by  a  correspondent  evil,  that  often  ex- 
ceeds the  advantage  gained.  That  we  have  made 
vast  improvements  in  art  and  science,  and  in  every  de- 
partment of  human  afiairs,  no  one  will  deny ;  conse- 
quently, it  is  assumed  we  must  correspondingly  im- 
prove in  a  bee-hive ;  forgetting  that  nature  has  fixed 
limits  to  the  instinct  of  the  bee,  beyond  which  she 
will  not  go  1 

It  will  be  necessary  to  point  out  the  advantages 
and  objections  to  these  pretended  improvements,  and 
then  we  will  see  if  we  cannot  avoid  the  objections, 
and  retain  the  advantages^  without  the  expense^  by  a  sim- 
ple addition  to  the  common  hive  ;  because  if  we  ex- 


HIVES.  17 

pect  to  encourage  bee-keeping,  they  must  have  better 
success  than  a  neighbor  of  mine,  who  expended  fifty 
dollars  for  bees  and  a  patent,  and  lost  all  in  three 
years  !  Most  bee-keepers  are  farmers  ;  very  few  are 
engineers  sufl&cient  to  work  them  successfully.  I 
would  say  to  all  such  as  do  not  understand  the  nature 
of  bees,  adhere  to  simplicity  until  you  do,  and  then 
I  am  quite  sure  you  will  have  no  desire  for  a  change. 

FIRST     DELUSION. 

Probably  the  first  delusion  in  the  patent  line  ori- 
ginated with  the  idea,  that  to  obtain  surplus  honey,  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  chamber  hive.  To 
get  rid  of  the  depredations  of  mice,  the  suspended 
hive  was  contrived.  The  inclined  bottom-board  was 
then  added  to  throw  out  the  worms.  To  prevent  the 
combs  from  sliding  down,  the  lower  end  was  cod- 
tracted. 

The  principle  of  bees  rearing  queens  from  worker- 
eggs  when  destitute,  gave  rise  to  the  dividing  hive  in 
several  forms.  Comb,  when  used  several  years,  be- 
comes thickened  and  black,  and  needs  changing;  hence 
the  changeable  hives.  Non-s warmers  have  been  in- 
troduced to  save  risk  and  trouble.  Moth-proof  hives 
to  prevent  the  ravages  of  worms,  &c.,  &c. 

CHAMBER    HIVE. 

The  chamber  hive  is  made  with  two  apartments ; 
the  lower  and  largest  is  for  the  permanent  residence 
of  the  bees,  the  upper  or  chamber  for  the  boxes.  Its 
merits  are  these  :  the  chamber  affords  all  the  protec- 


18  HIVES. 

tion  necessary  for  glass  boxes ;  considered  as  a  cover, 
it  is  never  lost.  Its  demerits  are  inconvenience  in 
handling ;  it  occupies  more  room  if  put  in  tlie  house 
in  the  winter ;  if  glass  boxes  are  used,  only  one  end 
can  be  seen,  and  this  may  be  full  when  the  other  may 
hold  some  pounds  yet,  and  we  cannot  possibly  know 
until  it  is  taken  out.  I  know  we  are  told  to  return 
such  boxes  when  not  full  "  and  the  bees  will  soon  finish 
them,"  but  this  will  depend  on  the  yield  of  honey  at 
the  time  ;  if  abundant,  it  will  be  filled ;  if  not,  they 
will  be  very  likely  to  take  a  hint,  and  remove  below 
what  there  is  in  the  box  ;  whereas  if  the  chamber  was 
separate  from  the  hive,  and  was  not  a  chamber  but  a 
loose  cap  to  cover  the  boxes,  it  could  be  raised  at  any 
time  without  disturbing  a  single  bee,  and  the  precise 
time  of  the  boxes  being  filled  ascertained,  (that  is,  when 
they  are  of  glass.) 

MRS.  Griffith's  hive. 
Mrs.  Griffith,  of  New  Jersey,  is  said  to  have  invented 
the  suspended  chamber  hive  with  the  inclined  bottom- 
board.  One  would  suppose  this  was  sufficiently  in- 
convenient to  use,  and  difficult  and  expensive  to  con- 
struct. 

weeks'  improvement. 
Yet  Mr.  Weeks  makes  an  alteration,  calls  it  an 
improvement,  the  expense  is  but  a  trifle  more;  it 
is  sufficient  to  be  sanctioned  by  a  patent.  From  front 
to  rear,  the  bottom  is  about  three  inches  narrower  than 
the  top,  somewhat  wedge-shape  ;  it  has  the  merit  to 


HIVES.  19 

prevent  the  combs  from  slipping  down,  when  they 
happen  to  be  made,  to  have  the  edges  supported.  The 
objections  are,  that  iilth  from  the  bees  wall  not  fall  as 
readily  to  the  bottom  as  if  every  side  was  perpendicu- 
lar, and  the  extra  trouble  in  constructing. 

INCLINED  BOTTOM-BOARDS  DO  NOT  THROW  OUT  ALL  THE  WORMS. 

Inclined  bottom-boards  form  the  basis  of  one  or  two 
patents,  said  to  be  good  to  roll  out  the  worms.  I  can 
imagine  a  pea  rolling  off  such  a  board  ;  but  a  worm 
is  not  often  found  in  a  rolling  condition.  Most  of  us 
know,  that  when  a  worm  drops  from  the  combs,  it  is 
like  the  spider,  with  a  thread  attached  above.  The 
only  way  that  I  can  imagine  one  to  be  thrown  out  by 
these  boards,  is  to  have  it  dead  when  it  strikes  it,  or 
so  cold  that  it  cannot  spin  a  thread,  and  wind  to  shake 
the  board,  till  it  rolls  off.  The  objections  to  these 
boards  are  coupled  with  the  suspended  hive,  with 
which  they  are  usually  connected. 

OBJECTIONS  TO  SUSPENDED    HIVES. 

All  suspended  hives  must  he  objectionable  to  any  one 
who  wishes  to  know  the  true  condition  of  his  bees  at 
all  times.  Only  think  of  the  trouble  of  unhooking  the 
bottom-board,  and  getting  down  on  your  back,  or 
twisting  your  neck  till  your  head  is  dizzy,  to  look  up 
among  the  combs,  and  then  see  nothing  satisfactory 
for  want  of  light ;  or  to  lift  the  hive  from  its  support- 
ers, and  turn  it  over.  The  operation  is  too  formida- 
ble for  an  indolent  man,  or  one  that  has  much  other 
business.     The  examination  w^ould  very  probably  be 


20  HIVES. 

put  off  till  quite  sure  it  would  do  no  longer,  and  some* 
times  a  few  days  after  that,  when  you  will  very  often 
find  3'our  bees  past  remedy. 

SEE    BEES  OFTEN. 

"  See  your  hees  often^''  is  a  choice  recipe, — it  is  worth 
five  hundred  dollars  at  interest,  even  when  you  have 
but  few  stocks.  How  necessary  then  that  we  have 
every  facility  for  a  close  and  minute  inspection.  How 
much  easier  to  turn  up  a  hive  that  simply  rests  on  a 
stand.  Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  turn  the  hive, 
even  bottom  up,  and  let  the  rays  of  the  sun  directly 
among  the  combs,  to  see  all  the  particulars.  By  this 
close  inspection,  I  have  often  ascertained  the  cause  of 
some  difficulty,  and  provided  a  remedy,  thus  saving  a 
good  many  that  in  a  short  time  would  have  been  lost ; 
yet,  with  a  little  help,  were  as  valuable  as  any  by 
another  year. 

hall's  patent. 
Mr.  Hall  has  added  a  lower  section  to  his  hive, 
about  four  inches  deep,  with  two  boards  inside,  like 
the  roof  of  a  house,  to  discharge  the  worms,  &c. ;  but 
as  these  boards  would  interfere  with  close  inspection, 
they  are  objectionable.  Several  other  variations  of 
inclined  bottom-boards  and  suspended  hives  have 
been  contrived,  to  obtain  a  patent,  but  the  objections 
offered  will  appl}^  to  most  of  them.  I  shall  not  weary 
the  reader  by  noticing  in  detail  every  hive  that  has 
been  patented ;  I  think  if  I  notice  the  principles  of  each 
kind,  it  will  test  his  patience  sufficiently. 


HIVES.  21 

JONEs'    PATENT. 

Jones'  dividing  hive  was  probably  suggested  by  this 
instinctive  principle  of  the  bee,  viz. :  when  a  stock  by 
any  accident  loses  its  queen,  and  the  combs  contain 
eggs  or  very  young  larvie,  they  will  rear  another. 
Now  if  a  hive  is  constructed  so  as  to  divide  the  brood- 
combs,  it  would  seem  quite  certain  that  the  half  with- 
out a  queen,  would  raise  one  ;  and  we  could  multiply 
our  stocks  without  swarms,  the  trouble  of  hiving,  and 
risk  of  their  going  to  the  woods,  &c. 

AX    EXPERIMENT. 

Several  years  ago,  I  thought  I  had  obtained  a  prin- 
ciple that  would  revolutionize  the  whole  system  of 
bee  management.  In  1840  I  constructed  such  hives, 
and  put  in  the  bees  to  test  by  actual  experiment,  the 
utility  of  what  seemed  so  very  plausible  in  theory. 
It  would  appear  that  this  principle  suggested  the  same 
idea  to  Mr.  Jones ;  perhaps  with  this  difference :  I 
think  he  did  not  wait  to  test  the  plan  thoroughly,  be- 
fore obtaining  his  patent  in  '42.  One  vender  of  rights 
asserted  that  63  stocks  were  made  from  one  in  three 
years ;  but  somehow  a  great  many  that  obtained  the 
rights,  failed  in  their  expectations.  From  my  ex- 
periments, I  think  I  could  guess  at  some  of  the  rea- 
sons. 

Mr.  A. — "Well,  what  are  the  reasons?  give  us 
your  experience,  if  you  please,  I  am  interested ;  I  had 
the  right  for  such  a  hive,  and  had  a  lot  made  to  order, 
that  cost  more  money  in  the  end  than  I  shall  ever  pay 
again  for  anything  about  bees." 


22  HIVES. 

Do  not  be  too  hasty,  friend,  I  think  I  can  instiuct 
you  to  keep  bees  on  principles  in  accordance  with 
their  nature,  which  is  very  simple,  so  that  if  you  can 
be  induced  to  try  again,  we  will  have  the  hives  cost 
but  little,  at  any  rate. 

REASONS    OF    FAILURE    IN    DIVIDING    UIVES. 

The  greatest  difficulty  with  dividing  hives,  appeared 
to  be  here.  It  must  be  constructed  with  a  partition 
or  division  to  keep  the  combs  in  each  apartment  sep- 
arate ;  otherwise,  we  make  tearing  work  in  the  di- 
vision. When  bees  are  first  put  into  such  hives,  un- 
less the  swarm  is  very  large,  and  honey  abundant, 
one  apartment  will  be  filled  to  the  bottom  before  a 
commencement  is  made  in  the  other. 

Mr.  A. — "  What  difference  can  that  make  ?  It  is 
necessary  to  have  the  hive  full ;  if  it  cannot  be  all  filled 
at  once,  why  let  them  fill  part." 

The  difference  is  this.  The  first  combs  built  by  a 
swarm  are  for  brood,  and  store-combs  afterwards,  as 
needed  ;  one  apartment  will  be  nearly  filled  with  all 
brood-combs,  and  the  other  with  store-combs  and 
honey.  Now  in  the  two  kinds  of  cells  there  is  a  great 
difference ;  those  for  breeding  are  near  half  an  inch 
in  length,  while  those  for  storing  are  sometimes  two 
inches  or  more  ;  totally  unfit  for  breeding ;  until  the 
bees  cut  them  off  to  the  proper  length,  which  they 
will  not  do,  unless  compelled  for  want  of  room,  con- 
sequently this  side  of  store-combs  is  but  little  used  for 
brood.  When  such  hive  is  divided,  the  chances  are 
not  more  than  one  in  four,  that  this  apartment  will 


HIVES.  23 

have  any  young  bees  of  tlie  proper  age  from  which  to 
Taise  a  queen ;  if  not,  and  the  old  queen  is  in  the  part 
with  the  brood-comb,  where  she  will  be  ninety-nine 
times  in  a  hundred,  one  half  of  the  hive  is  lost  for 
want  of  a  queen. 

Mr.  A. — "  Ah !  I  think  I  now  understand  how  I 
lost  one-half  of  nearly  every  hive  I  divided.  I 
also  lost  some  of  them  in  the  winter ;  there  was  plenty 
of  bees  as  well  as  honey ;  can  you  tell  the  cause  of 
this?" 

I  will  guess  that  they  starved. 

Mr.  A. — "  Starved !  why  I  said  there  was  plenty  ot 
honey." 

i  understood  it,  but  nevertheless  feel  quite  sure. 

Mr.  A. — "I  would  like  to  see  that  made  plain;  I 
can't  understand  how  they  could  starve  when  there  was 
honey!" 

CAUSE  OF  STARVING  IN  SUCH  HIVES. 

I  said  one  apartment  would  be  filled  with  brood- 
combs;  this  will  be  occupied,  at  least  partially,  with 
brood  as  long  as  the  yield  of  honey  lasts ;  consequent- 
ly, there  will  be  but  little  room  for  storing  here,  but 
the  other  side  may  be  full  throughout.  The  bees  will 
take  up  their  winter  quarters  among  the  brood-combs. 
Now  suppose  the  honey  in  this  apartment  is  all  ex- 
hausted during  a  severe  turn  of  cold  weather,  what 
can  the  bees  do  ?  If  one  should  leave  the  mass  and 
go  among  the  frosty  combs  for  a  supply,  its  fate  would 
be  as  certain  as  starvation.  Without  frequent  inter- 
vals of  warm  weather  to  melt  all  frost  on  the  combs, 


24  HIVES. 

and  allow  the  bees  to  go  into  the  other  apartment  for 
lione}^,  they  must  starve. 

The  cost  of  construction  is  another  objection  to  this 
hive,  as  the  labor  bestowed  on  one  is  more  than  would 
finish  two,  that  would  be  much  better. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  THE  CHANGEABLE  HIVE    CONSIDERED. 

The  value  of  changeable  hives  is  based  upon  the  fol- 
lowing principle :— Each  young  bee  when  it  first 
hatches  from  the  Qgg^  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a 
worm;  when  it  receives  the  necessary  food,  the  bees 
seal  it  over ;  it  will  then  spin  a  cocoon,  or  line  its  cell 
with  a  coating  of  silk,  less  in  thickness  than  the  thin- 
nest paper  ;  this  remains  after  the  bee  leaves  it.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  that  after  a  few  hundreds  have  been 
reared  in  a  cell,  and  each  one  has  left  its  cocoon,  that 
such  cell  must  be  somewhat  diminished,  altht)ugh  the 
thickness  of  a  dozen  cocoons  could  not  be  measured ; 
and  this  old  cell  needs  removing,  that  the  bees  may 
replace  it  with  a  new  one.  But  how  shall  it  be  done  ? 
This  is  a  feat  for  the  display  of  ingenuity.  A  common 
man  might  go  about  it  in  a  very  sensible,  simple  man- 
ner,  might  possibly  turn  the  hive  over,  and  cut  out  the 
old  combs  when  necessary,  without  knowing  perhaps 
that  the  patent- vender  could  sell  a  receipt  to  do  the 
thing  scieHtiJicaUy,  the  benefit  of  which  would  be  many 
times  on  the  principle  of  a  surgeon  cutting  off  your 
head,  to  get  a  good  chance  to  tie  a  small  artery  accord- 
ing to  system ;  or  would  show  you  a  roundabout  way 
of  half  a  dozen  miles  to  accomplish  what  the  same  num- 
ber of  rods  would  do.     Had  we  not  ocular  demonstra- 


HIVES.  26 

tion  of  the  fact,  we  could  not  suppose  so  many  varia- 
tions for  the  same  end  could  be  invented.  But  if  we 
reward  ingenuity,  it  will  be  stimulated  to  great  exer- 
tions. Perhaps  if  we  describe  the  merits  of  one  or  two 
of  this  class,  the  utility  of  this  principle  may  be  com- 
prehended. • 

VARIATION  OF  THESE  HIVES. 

First,  then,  the  sectional  hive  of  various  patterns  has 
been  patented ;  it  consists  generally  of  about  three 
boxes,  one  above  another ;  the  top  of  each  has  one 
large  hole,  or  several  small  ones,  or  cross-bars,  about 
an  inch  wide,  and  half  an  inch  apart ;  these  holes  or 
spaces  allowing  the  bees  to  pass  from  one  box  to  the 
other.  When  all  are  full,  the  upper  one  is  removed,  and 
an  empty  one  put  under  the  bottom ;  in  this  way  all 
are  changed,  and  the  combs  renewed  in  three  years ; 
very  easily  and  quietly  done.  This  is  as  far  as  a  pa- 
tent-vender wishes  the  subject  investigated  ;  and  some 
of  his  customers  have  not  gone  beyond  this  point.  As 
an  offset  for  these  advantages,  we  will  first  look  at  the 
cost  of  such  hive. 

EXPENSE    IN    CONSTRUCTING    CHANGEABLE    HIVES. 

It  is  as  much  work  to  construct  each  separate  sec- 
tion, as  a  commom  hive ;  consequently,  it  is  three 
times  the  expense  to  begin  with.  It  is  objectionable 
for  wintering  bees,  on  the  same  principle  as  the  divid- 
ing hive.  I  object  to  it  on  another  point :  our  surplus 
honey  will  never  be  pure,  as  each  section  must  be  used 
for  breeding,  and  every  cell  so  used,  will  contain 
cocoons  corresponding  to  the  number  of  bees  raised. 
2 


26  HIVES. 

SURPLUS  HONEY  WILL  CONTAIN  BEE-BRE.vD. 

Also  pollen,  or  bee-bread,  is  always  stored  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  young  brood ;  some  of  this  will  remain 
mixed  with  the  honey,  to  please  the  palate  with  its  ex- 
quisite flavor.  The  majority  will  probably  prefer  all 
surplus  honey  stored  in  pure  comb,  where  it  will 
be  with  proper  management. 

I  will  here  give  a  full  description  of  a  hive  on  this 
principle,  as  I  have  the  description  from  one  of  its  advo- 
cates, in  the  Dollar  Newspaper,  Philadelphia:  called 
Cutting's  Patent  Changeable  Hive. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    CUTTINg's    CHANGEABLE    HIVE, 

"The size  of  the  changeable  hive  most  used  in  this 
section,  has  an  outside  shell,  made  of  inch  boards, 
about  two  feet  high  and  sixteen  and  a  half  inches 
square,  with  a  door  hung  in  the  rear.  On  the  inside 
are  three  boxes  or  drawers,  which  will  hold  about  one 
thousand  cubic  inches  each,  and  when  filled  with 
honey,  usually  weigh  about  thirty-five  pounds,  which 
is  a  sufficient  amount  of  honey  to  winter  a  large 
swarm.  The  sides  of  these  drawers  are  made  of 
boards,  about  half  an  inch  thick;  the  tops  and  bot- 
toms of  the  lower  drawers  and  ends  of  the  upper 
drawers  should  be  three-fourths  of  an  inch,  and  the 
drawers  should  be  fourteen  inches  high,  fourteen 
inches  from  front  to  rear,  and  six  and  three-fourths 
inches  wide.  Two  of  these  drawers  stand  side  by 
side,  with  the  third  placed  flatwise  upon  the  two, 
with  a  free  communication  from  one  drawer  to  another, 
by    means  of  thirty   three-fourth  inch  holes  on  the 


HIVES.  27 

side  of  each  drawer,  and  twenty -four  in  the  bottom  of 
the  upper  drawer,  and  holes  in  the  top  and  bottom  of 
the  lower  drawers,  to  correspond,  and  slides  to  cut  off 
the  communication  when  occasion  may  require.  Thus 
we  see  our  hive  may  be  one  hive,  with  communication 
sufficiently  free  throughout,  or  we  may  have  three 
hives  combined.  The  drawers  have  tubes  made  in 
them,  (for  the  bees  to  pass  and  repass),  which  are  made 
to  go  through  the  front  side  of  the  hive.  The  back- 
side of  the  drawers  are  doors,  with  glass  set  in  them. 
These  drawers  set  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  hive, 
and  rest  on  pieces  of  wood,  closely  fitted  in  such  a 
way,  as  to  make  a  space  under  the  drawers  for  the 
dirt^  dead  bees,  and  water,  which  collect  in  the  bottom 
of  hives  in  winter ;  between  the  drawers  and  the  out- 
side is  an  air  space  of  about  one-third  of  an  inch. 

These  hives,  when  well  made  and  painted,  will 
last  many  years,  and  those  doing  much  in  the  business 
will  find  it  an  adva'ntage  to  have  a  few  extra  drawers. 
Having  given  you  some  idea  of  the  construction  of 
the  changeable  hive,  I  will  proceed  to  notice  some  of 
the  most  important  reasons  why  I  prefer  this  hive  to 
any  I  have  yet  seen.  First  because  the  hive,  being 
constructed  upon  the  changeable  principle,  so  that  by 
taking  out  a  full  drawer,  and  placing  an  empty  one  in 
its  stead,  our  comb  is  always  kept  new,  wherefore,  the 
size  of  the  bee  is  preserved,  and  kept  in  a  more 
healthy,  or  prosperous  state,  or  condition,  than  when 
obliged  to  remain  and  continue  to  breed,  in  the  old 
comb,  when  the  cells  have  become  small.  Secondly, 
because    small,  late    swarms   may  be   easily  united. 


28  HIVES. 

Thirdly,  because  large  swarms  may  be  easily  divided. 
Fourthly,  because  however  late  a  swarm  may  come 
off,  it  may  be  easily  supplied  with  honey  for  the 
winter,  by  taking  from  a  full  hive  a  surplus  drawer, 
and  placing  it  in  the  hive  of  the  late  swarm.  Fifthly, 
because  a  column  of  air  between  the  drawers  and  the 
outside  of  the  hive  is  a  non-conductor  of  both  heat 
and  cold,  preventing  the  melting  of  the  comb,  and  se- 
curing the  bees  against  frost  and  cold." 

Now  here  is  a  full  description  of  perhaps  as  good  a 
hive  as  any  of  its  class ;  it  is  given  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  wish  to  go  miles  instead  of  rods;  they  may 
know  the  road,  especially  as  they  can  have  the  privi- 
lege by  paying  for  it :  for  myself,  I  had  rather  be  ex- 
cused,— why,  reading  the  description  has  nearly  ex- 
hausted my  patience  ;  what  should  I  do  if  I  attempted 
to  make  one? 

FIRST    OBJECTION,    COST    OF    CONSTUCTION. 

The  first  obstacle  in  the  way  (after  the  right  is  ob- 
tained) is  the  construction.  Let's  see  ;  we  want  inch 
boards  to  make  the  shell,  three-quarter  inch  boards 
for  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  drawers,  half  inch  for  sides, 
hinges  to  hang  a  door,  glass  for  back  of  drawers, 
tubes  for  the  egress  of  the  bees,  and  slides  to  cut  off 
communication.  It  will  be  necessary  to  get  a  me- 
chanic, and  a  workman  too.  Those  108  holes  that 
must  be  bored,  mv^t  match,  or  it  is  of  no  use  to  make 
them.  But  few  farmers  would  have  the  tools  requi- 
site, a  still  less  number  the  skill  and  patience  to  do  it. 
What  the  cost  might  be  by  the  time  a  hive  was  ready 


HIVES.  29 

to  receive  the  bees,  I  could  not  say ;    but  guess  it 
might  be  some  three  or  four  dollars. 

HIVES    CAX    BE    MADE    WITH    LESS    EXPENSE. 

The  one  I  shall  recommend,  without  paint,  will  not 
cost,  or  need  not,  over  37^  cents,  with  cover,  etc. 
Now,  if  we  wish  hives  for  ornament,  it  is  well  enough 
to  expend  something  for  the  purpose ;  but  it  is  well 
not  to  refine  too  much,  as  there  are  limits  which,  if 
passed,  will  render  it  unfit  for  bees.  Therefore,  when 
profit  is  an  object,  the  extra  expense  will  or  ought  to 
be  made  up  hj  the  bees,  in  return  for  an  expensive 
domicil.  But  will  they  do  it  ?  The  merits  of  the  one 
under  consideration  are  fully  given.  "  First,  by  tak- 
ing out  a  full  drawer  and  putting  in  an  empty  one  in 
its  stead,  the  combs  are  always  kept  new,  and  cells  of 
full  size."  Now  this  fear  of  bees  becoming  dwarfs  in. 
consequence  of  being  reared  in  cells  too  small,  has 
done  more  mischief  among  the  bees,  and  their  owners' 
pockets,  than  if  the  fact  had  never  been  thought,  or 
heard  of. 

OLD    BREEDING    CELLS    WILL    LAST    A    LONG    TIME. 

These  old  cells  do  not  need  renewing  half  as 
often  as  has  been  represented.  It  is  the  interest  of 
these  patent-venders  to  sell  rights ;  this  interest  either 
blinds  their  eyes  as  to  facts,  or  lulls  the  internal  moni- 
tor of  right,  while  acquisitiveness  is  gratified.  The 
same  cells  can  be  used  for  breeding  six  or  eight  years, 
perhaps  longer,  and  no  one  can  tell  the  difference  by 
the  size  of  the  bees ;  I  have  two  stocks  now  in  their 


so  HIVES. 

tenth  year  without  renewal  of  comb.  A  neighbor  of 
mine  kept  a  stock  twelve  years  in  the  same  combs ;  it 
proved  as  prosperous  as  any.  I  have  heard  of  their 
lasting  twenty,  and  am  inclined  to  believe  it. 

CELLS    LARGER    THAN    NECESSARY    AT    FIRST. 

The  bees  seem  to  make  a  provision  for  this  emer- 
gency, the  sheets  of  comb  are  farther  apart  than  actually 
necessary  at  first,  the  diameter  of  the  cell  is  also  a  little 
larger  than  the  size  of  the  young  bee  requires.  Of  this 
xoe  are  certain — a  great  many  young  bees  can  be  rais- 
ed in  a  cell,  and  not  be  diminished  in  size,  sufficient 
to  be  detected.  The  bottom  fills  up  faster  than  at  the 
sides,  and  as  they  do  so  the  bees  add  a  little  to  the 
length,  until  the  ends  of  these  cells  on  two  parallel 
combs  approximate  too  close  to  allow  the  bees  to  pass 
fi-eely ;  before  Avhich  time  it  is  unnecessary  to  remove 
comb  for  being  old. 

EXPENSE    OF    RENEWING    COMBS. 

One  important  item  should  be  considered  in  this 
matter,  by  those  who  are  so  eager  for  new  combs. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  one  in  500  ever  thought  of 
the  expense  of  renewing  comb.  I  find  it  estimated 
by  one  writer,*  that  twenty-five  lbs.  of  honey  was 
consumed  in  elaborating  about  half  lb.  wax.  This 
without  doubt  is  an  over  estimate,  but  no  one  will  deny 
that  some  is  used.  I  am  satisfied  of  this  much,  from 
actual  experience,  that  every  time  the  bees  have  to 
renew  their  brood-combs  in  a  hive,  they  would  make 
from  ten  to  twenty-five  lbs.  in  boxes,  hence  I  infer  that 

•  See  Appendix  of  Cottage  Bee-keeper,  page  118. 


HIVES.  31' 

BEST    TO    USE    OLD    COMBS    AS    LONG    AS    THEY    WILL    ANSWER. 

their  time  can  be  more  profitably  employed  than  in 
constructing  brood-combs  every  year.  I  would  also 
suggest  that  when  combs  have  been  once  used  for 
breeding  it  is  the  best  use  they  can  be  applied  to,  after 
that,  as  the  cocoons  render  it  unfit  for  much  else  than 
a  little  wax. 


DRrVTNG   AND   PRUNING   WHEN    NECESSARY. 

But  when  the  combs  do  actually  need  removing,  I 
prefer  the  following  method  of  pruning,  to  driving  the 
bees  out  entirely,  as  has  been  recommended.  It  can 
be  done  in  about  an  hour.  As  we  are  comparing  the 
merits  of  different  methods  of  getting  rid  of  old  combs, 
I  shall  give  mine  here,  notwithstanding  it  may  seem  a 
little  out  of  place. 

The  best  time  is  a  little  before  night.  The  first 
movement  is  to  blow  under  the  hive  some  tobacco 
smoke  (the  best  means  of  charming  them  I  ever  found)  ; 
the  bees,  deprived  of  all  disposition  to  sting,  retreat 
up  among  the  combs  to  get  away  from  the  smoke ;  now 
raise  the  hive  from  the  stand  and  carefully  turn  it 
bottom  upwards,  avoiding  any  jar,  as  some  of  the  bees 
that  were  in  the  top  when  the  smoke  was  introduced, 
and  did  not  get  a  taste,  will  now  come  to  the  bottom 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  disturbance  ;  these  should 
receive  a  share,  and  they  will  immediately  return  to 
the  top,  perfectly  satisfied.  When  so  many  bees  are 
in  the  hive,  as  to  be  in  the  way  in  pruning,  (which  if 
there  is  not  it  is  not  worth  it,)  get  an  empty  hive  the 
size  of  the  old  one,  and  set  it  over,  stopping  the  holes; 


32  HIVES. 

now  strike  the  lower  hive  with  a  hammer  or  stick, 
lightly  and  rapidly,  five  or  ten  minutes,  when  nearly 
all  the  bees  will  be  in  the  upper  hive,  and  set  that  on 
the  stand ;  only  a  few  bees  will  be  in  the  way ;  these 
I  will  warrant  not  to  sting,  unless  you  pinch  or  get 
them  fast.  Should  diseased  broody  or  anything  make 
it  necessary  to  transfer  all  the  bees  permanently,  you 
can  now  set  over  another  hive  or  box,  and  beat  the 
lower  hive  again,  when  another  portion  will  ascend ; 
jar  these  out  in  front  of  the  first,  and  they  will  imme- 
diately enter ;  continue  the  process  till  all  are  out. 
But  for  pruning  a  few  bees  will  not  be  much  in  the 
way,  and  you  may  proceed  as  follows: 


ot 


I 


TOOLS    FOR    CUTTING    OUT    COMB. 

The  broad  one  is  very  readily  made  from  a  piece  of  an  old 
scythe,  about  twenty  inches  long,  by  any  blacksmith,  by  simply 
taking  off  the  back,  and  forming  a  shank  for  a  handle  at  the  heel; 
the  end  should  be  ground  like  a  carpenter's  chisel.  This  is  for 
cutting  down  the  sides  of  the  hive ;  tlio  bevel  will  keep  it  close 
the  whole  length,  when  you  wish  to  remove  all  the  combs — it 
being  square  instead  of  rounded,  no  dilTiculty  will  be  found  in 
guiding  it — it  is  not  thick  enough  to  mash  any  combs  by  crowd- 
ing them.  The  other  tool  is  for  cutting  ofi'  combs  at  the  top  or 
any  other  place.  It  is  merely  a  rod  of  steel  three-eighths  of  an 
inch  diameter,  about  two  feet  long,  with  a  thin  blade  at  right 
angles,  one  and  a  half  inches  long,  and  a  quarter  inch  wide,  both 
edges  sharp,  upper  side  bevelled,  bottom  flat,  &c.  You  will  find 
these  tools  very  convenient;  be  sure  and  got  them  by  all  means; 
the  cost  cannot  be  compared  to  the  advantage. 

With  the  tools  just  described,  you   can  now  re- 


HIVES.  33 

move  the  brood -combs  from  the  centre  of  the  hive. 
The  combs  near  the  top  and  outside  are  used  but 
little  for  breeding,  and  are  generally  filled  with  honey ; 
these  should  be  left  as  a  good  start  for  refilling,  but 
take  out  all  that  is  necessary,  while  you  are  about  it ; 
then  reverse  the  hives,  putting  the  one  containing  the 
bees  under  the  other ;  by  the  next  morning  all  are  up ; 
now  put  it  on  the  stand,  and  this  job  is  done  without 
one  cent  extra  expense  for  a  patent  to  help  you,  and 
the  bees  are  much  better  off  for  the  honey  left,  which 
has  to  be  taken  away  with  all  patent  plans  that  I  have 
seen,  and  this,  as  has  been  remarked,  is  not  worth 
much,  occupied  as  it  is  with  a  few  cocoons  and  bee- 
bread.  It  is  worth  much  more  to  the  bees,  and  they 
will  give  us  pure  comb  and  honey  for  it. 

USE    OF    TOBACCO    SMOKE. 

"  I  would  not  do  it  for  fifty  dollars,  the  bees  would 
sting  me  to  death."  Stop  a  moment,  if  you  never 
tried  the  ef&cacy  of  tobacco  smoke,  you  know  nothing 
of  a  powerful  agent ;  this  is  the  grand  secret  of  suc- 
cess; without  it,  I  admit  it  would  be  somewhat  haz- 
ardous ;  but  with  it,  I  have  done  it  time  after  time 
without  receiving  a  single  sting,  and  no  protection 
whatever,  for  either  hands  or  face. 

But  is  there  no  difficulty  with  our  sectional  or 
changeable  hive,  when  this  feat  is  to  be  performed  ? 
The  combs  will  be  made  in  the  two  drawers  similar 
to  the  dividing  hive,  brood-combs  in  one  side,  and 
store-combs  in  the  other.  We  wish  to  remove  the  one 
with  brood-combs  of  course,  (as  that  is  the  one  where 
2* 


34  HIVES. 

the  combs  are  thick  and  bad,  &c.)  Where  will  the 
queen  be  ?  With  the  brood-comb,  where  her  duty  is 
most  likely  to  be ;  well,  this  is  the  one  we  want,  and 
we  take  it  out.  How  is  she  to  get  back  ?  She  must 
go  back,  or  we  have  three  chances  in  four  of  losing 
the  stock ;  but  her  majesty  will  remain  perfectly  easy, 
as  well  as  some  of  the  workers,  wherever  you  put  the 
drawer. 

FURTHER  OBJECTIONS  TO  A  SECTIONAL  HIVE. 

I  can  see  no  other  way  but  to  break  the  box,  look 
her  up,  and  help  the  helpless  thing  home,  (the  chances 
of  being  stung  may  be  here  too.)  Now,  for  a  time  at 
least,  they  must  use  the  other  drawer  for  breeding, 
where  most  of  the  cells  are  unfit.  There  is  altogether 
too  great  a  proportion  of  drone-cells ;  these,  as  well 
as  the  other  size,  will  nearly  all  be  much  too  long,  and 
will  have  to  be  cut  off  to  the  proper  length,  a  waste  of 
wax  as  well  as  labor.  Another  thing  might  be  set 
down  per  disadvantage  of  Mr.  Cutting's  hive  ;  the  job 
of  getting  a  swarm  into  such  hive,  at  first,  I  fancy 
would  not  be  desirable  to  many.  Now,  when  we  strike 
the  balance,  putting  expense,  difiiculties,  and  perplexi- 
ties on  one  side,  and  simplicity  and  economy  on  the 
other,  it  appears  like  a  "great  cry  for  little  wool." 
But  stop  a  moment,  four  other  advantages  are  enu- 
merated in  its  favor :  second,  third,  and  fourth  are  bor- 
rowed from  the  common  hive,  or  are  all  available  here 
when  required.  But  fifthly,  allows  a  "  column  of  air 
between  th«  drawers  and  outside  of  the  hive,  is  a  non- 
condurtor  of  heat  and  cold,"  &c.  This  is  an  advantage 


HIVES.  35 

not  possessed  by  the  common  hive ;  neither  does  the 
common  hive  olSer  such  advantages  to  the  moth,  by 
affording  such  snug  quarters  for  worms  to  spin  their 
cocoons,  when  they  cannot  be  destroyed  without  con- 
siderable trouble. 

KON-SWARMERS. 

Here  I  will  endeavor  to  be  brief;  I  feel  anxious 
to  get  through  with  this  disagreeable  part,  where 
every  word  I  say  will  clash  with  somebody's  in- 
terest or  prejudice.  The  merits  of  this  hive  are  to 
obtain  surplus  honey  with  but  little  trouble,  which 
often  succeeds  in  satisfying  people  of  its  utility.  The 
principal  objection  is  found  on  the  score  of  profit. 
Suppose  we  start  with  one,  call  it  worth  five  dollars 
in  the  beginning,  at  the  end  of  ten  years  it  is  worth  no 
more,  very  likely  not  as  much,  (the  chances  of  its 
failing,  short  of  that  time,  we  will  not  take  into  the 
account ;)  we  might  get  annually,  say  five  dollars 
worth  of  surplus  honey,  amounting  to  fifty  dollars. 

CONTRAST    OF    PROFIT. 

The  swarming  hive,  we  suppose,  will  throw  off  one 
swarm  annually,  and  make  us  one  dollar's  worth  of 
surplus  honey,  (we  will  not  reckon  that  jnelded  by  the 
first  swarm,  which  is  often  more  than  that  from  the 
old  stocks,)  about  one  third  of  the  average  in  good 
seasons.  The  second  year  there  will  be  two  to  do  the 
same  ;  take  this  rate  for  ten  years,  we  have  512  stocks, 
either  of  them  worth  as  much  as  the  non-swarmer, 
and  about  a  thousand  dollars  worth  of  surplus  honey. 


36  HIVES. 

Call  these  stocks  worth  five  dollars  each,  which  makes 
$2560,  all  added  together  will  make  the  snug  little 
sum  of  about  $3500,  against  $55  It  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  aiij  of  us  will  realize  profits  to  this  ex- 
tent, but  it  is  a  forcible  illustration  of  the  advantages  of 
the  swarming  hive  over  the  non-swarmer. 

PRINCIPLE  OF  SWARMING  NOT  UNDERSTOOD. 

But  many  of  these  non-swarmers,  'tis  said,  can  be 
changed  to  swarmers  to  suit  the  convenience'  of  the 
apiarian — Colton's  is  one.  It  is  asserted  that  it  can 
be  made  to  swarm  within  two  days  at  any  time,  merely 
by  taking  off  the  six  boxes  or  drawers  that  are  very 
ingeniously  attached ;  as  this  contracts  the  room,  the 
bees  are  forced  out.  Now  I  will  candidly  confess  that 
I  could  never  get  this  thing  to  work  at  all.  Of  this  I 
am  quite  positive,  that  he  (Mr.  Colton)  is  either  ignor- 
ant of  the  necessary  and  regular  preparations  that 
bees  make  before  swarming,  or  supposes  others  are. 
Mr.  Weeks  has  advocated  the  same  principle:  he  says, 
"  There  is  no  queen  in  any  stage  of  existence,  in  the 
old  stock,  immediately  after  the  first  swarm  leaves  it." 
I  have  examined  this  matter  till  I  am  satisfied  I  risk 
but  little  in  the  bold  assertion,  that  not  one  stock  in 
fifty  will  cast  a  swarm  short  of  a  week  after  commenc- 
ing preparations.  This  opinion  will  be  adopted  by 
whoever  will  take  the  trouble  to  investigate  for  them- 
selves. (The  chapter  on  swarming  will  give  the  ne- 
cessary instructions  for  examining  this  point,  if  you 
wish.) 


HIVES.  87 

KOT  TO  BE  DEPENDED  UPON. 

Furtlier,  these  non-swarmers  are  not  always  to  be 
depended  upon  as  such.  They  will  sometimes  throw 
off  swarms  when  there  is  abundant  room  in  the  hive 
as  well  as  in  the  boxes. 

Hm:S  NOT  ALWAYS  FULL  BEFORE  SWARMING. 

I  know  Weeks,  Colton,  Miner  and  others,  tell  us  the 
hive  must  he  full  before  we  need  expect  a  swarm  ;  but 
experience  is  against  them.  Bees  do  sometimes  cast  a 
swarm  before  filling  the  hive.  From  close  observa- 
tion, I  find  when  a  hive  is  very  large,  say  4000  cubic 
inches,  and  is  filled  with  comb,  the  first  season,  that 
Buch  seldom  swarm  except  in  very  good  years. 

SIZE  OF  mVES  NEEDED. 

But  if  such  hive  is  only  half  full,  or  2000  inches,  it 
is  very  common  for  them  to  swarm  without  adding 
any  new  comb  ;  proving  very  conclusively  that  a  hive 
that  size,  is  sufiicient  for  all  their  wants  in  the  breed- 
ing season.  When  about  1200  inches  only  had  been 
filled  the  first  year,  I  have  known  them  to  add  combs 
until  they  had  filled  about  1800,  and  then  cast  a 
swarm,  proving  also  that  a  little  less  than  2000  will 
do  for  breeding.  I  have  tested  the  principle  of  giving 
room  to  prevent  swarming,  a  little  further. 

AN    EXPERIMENT. 

In  the  spring  of  '47,  I  placed  under  five  full  hives, 
containing  2000  solid  or  cubic  inches,  as  many  empty 
ones  the  same  size,  without  the  top.     I  had  a  swarm 


38  HIVES. 

from  each ;  but  two  had  added  any  new  comb,  and 
these  but  little.  If  these  hives  had  been  filled  to  the 
bottom  with  comb  in  the  spring,  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  either  of  them  would  have  swarmed.  The 
only  place  we  can  put  a  good  stock  and  not  expect  it 
to  swarm  in  good  seasons,  is  inside  a  building,  where  it 
is  perfectly  dark,  and  even  here  a  few  have  been 
known  to  do  it.  If  we  could  manage  to  get  a  very 
large  hive  filled  with  combs,  it  would  perhaps  be  as 
good  a  preventive  as  any.  All  the  bees  that  could  be 
reared  in  one  season,  would  have  sufficient  room  in  the 
combs  ready  made  for  their  labors,  and  there  would  be 
no  necessity  for  their  emigration.  "  But  wha(^  be- 
comes of  all  the  bees  raised  in  the  course  of  several 
years  ?"  To  this  question  I  shall  not  probably  be  able 
to  give  a  satisfactory  answer  at  present. 

BEES   DO   NOT   IKCREASE,  IF    FULL,  AFTER    THE    FIRST   TEAR,  IN 
SAME    HIVE. 

.  I  only  will  notice  the  fact,  that  the  bees  somehow 
disappear,  and  there  is  no  more  at  the  end  of  five  years 
than  at  the  end  of  one.  A  stock  of  bees  may  contain 
6000  the  first  of  May,  and  raise  20,000  in  the  course  of 
the  year ;  by  the  first  of  the  next  May,  as  a  general 
thing,  not  one  more  will  be  found,  even  when  no 
swarm  had  issued. 

GILLMORe's  SYSTEM  DOUBTED. 

Now  this  fact  is  not  known  by  a  recent  patentee 
from  the  State  of  Maine,  (else  he  supposes  others  do 
not,)  as  he  recommends  placing  bees  in  a  house,  and 


HIVES.  39 

empty  hives  in  connection  with  the  one  containing  bees, 
and  in  a  few  years  all  will  be  full.  He  has  discovered 
a  mixture  to  feed  bees,  (to  be  noticed  hereafter) ;  this 
may  account  for  an  unusual  quantity  being  stored  by 
an  ordinary  sized  family.  He  said  another  thing,  that 
is,  each  of  these  added  hives  would  contain  a  queen ! 
This  would  seem  to  explain  away  the  first  difficulty  of 
the  continued  increase  of  bees,  and  so  it  would  if  it 
did  not  get  into  another  equally  erroneous;  one  error 
never  made  another  true.  This  idea  of  bees  raising  a 
queen,  merely  because  they  have  a  side  box  to  the 
main  hive,  is  contrary  to  all  my  experience,  and  to  the 
experience  of  all  writers  (except  himself)  that  I  have 
consulted.  If  the  principle  is  correct,  why  not  some- 
times raise  a  queen  in  a  box  on  the  top  or  side  for  us  ? 
I  never  discovered  a  single  instance,  where  two  perfect 
queens  were  quietly  about  their  duties  in  connection 
with  one  hive.  The  deadly  hostility  of  queens  is 
known  to  all  observing  apiarians.  ISTot  having  the 
least  faith  in  the  principle,  I  will  leave  it. 

UTILITY  OF  MOTH-PROOF  HIVES  DOUBTED. 

As  for  moth-proof  hives,  I  have  but  little  to  say,  as 
I  have  not  the  least  faith  in  one  of  them.  When  I 
come  to  speak  of  that  insect,  I  will  show,  I  think,  con- 
clusively, that  no  place  where  bees  are  allowed  to  enter 
is  safe  from  them. 

Several  other  'perfect  hives  might  be  mentioned ;  yet 
I  believe  that  I  have  noticed  the  principles  of  each. 
Have  I  not  said  enough  ?  Such  as  ar(3  not  satisfied 
now  would  not  be  if  I  filled  a  volume.     Our  view  of 


40  HIVES. 

t 

things  is  the  result  of  a  thousand  various  causes  ;  the 

most  powerful  is  interest,  or  prejudice. 

It  is  said  that  in  Europe,  the  same  ingenuity  is  dis- 
played in  twisting  and  torturing  the  bee,  to  adapt  her 
natural  instinct  to  unnatural  tenements;  tenements 
invented  not  because  the  bee  needs  them,  but  because 
this  is  a  means  available  for  a  little  change.  "Patent 
men  "  have  found  the  people  generally  too  ignorant  of 
apiarian  science.  But  let  us  hope  that  their  days  of 
prosoerity  in  this  line  are  about  numbered. 

INSTINCTS    OF    THE    BKE    ALWAYS    THE    SAME. 

Let  us  fully  understand  that  the  nature  of  the  bee, 
when  viewed  under  any  condition,  climate,  or  circum- 
stance, is  the  same.  Instincts  first  implanted  by  the 
hand  of  the  Creator,  have  passed  through  millions  of 
generations,  unimpaired,  to  the  present  day,  and  will 
continue  unchanged  through  all  future  time,  till  the 
last  bee  passes  from  the  earth.  We  may,  we  have, 
to  gratify  acquisitiveness,  forced  them  to  labor  under 
every  disadvantage;  yes,  we  have  compelled  them  to 
sacrifice  their  industry,  prosperity,  and  even  their 
lives  have  been  yielded,  but  never  their  instincts. 
We  may  destroy  life,  but  cannot  improve  or  take 
from  their  nature.  The  laws  that  govern  them  are 
fixed  and  immutable  as  the  Universe. 

Spring  returns  to  its  annual  task ;  dissolves  the 
frost,  warms  into  life  nature's  dormant  powers. 
Flowers  with  a  smile  of  joy,  expand  their  delicate 
petals  in  grateful  thanks,  while  the  stamens  sustain 
upon  their  tapering  points  the  anthers  covered  with 


HIVES.  41 

the  fertili2aiig  pollen  and  the  pistil  springs  from  a  cup 
of  liquid  nectar,  imparting  to  each  passing  breeze 
delicious  fragrance,  inviting  the  bee  as  with  a  thousand 
tongues  to  the  sumptuous  banquet.  She  does  not 
need  an  artificial  stimulus  from  man,  as  an  induce- 
ment to  partake  of  the  feast ;  without  his  aid  or  as- 
sistance she  visits  each  wasting  cup  of  sweetness,  and 
secures  the  tiny  drop,  while  the  superabundant  farina, 
dislodged  from  the  nodding  anthers,  covers  her  body, 
to  be  brushed  together  and  kneaded  into  bread.  All 
she  requires  at  the  hands  of  man,  is  a  suitable  store- 
house for  her  treasures.  In  good  seasons,  her  nature 
will  prompt  the  gathering  for  her  own  use  an  over 
supply.  This  surplus  man  may  appropriate  to  his  own 
use,  without  detriment  to  his  bees,  providing  his 
management  is  in  accordance  with  their  nature. 

PROFIT    THE    OBJECT. 

To  give  the  bees  all  necessarj'  advantages,  and  ob- 
tain the  greatest  possible  amount  of  profit,  with  the 
least  possible  expense,  has  been  my  study  for  years. 
I  might  keep  a  few  stocks  for  amusement,  even  if  it 
was  attended  with  no  dollar  and  cent  profit,  but  the 
number  would  be  very  small ;  I  will  honestly  confess 
then,  that  profit  is  the  actuating  principle  with  me. 
I  have  a  strong  suspicion  that  the  majority  of  readers 
have  similar  motives.  I  am  sure,  then,  that  all  of  us 
with  these  views,  will  consider  it  a  pity,  when  a  stock 
produces  five  dollars  worth  of  surplus  honey,  to  be 
obliged  to  pay  three  or  four  of  it  for  patent  and  other 
useless  fixings. 


42  HIVES. 


COMMON    HIVE    RECOMMENDED. 


I  would  not  exchange  the  hive  I  have  used  for  the 
last  ten  years  for  any  patent  I  ever  saw,  if  furnished 
gratis.  I  will  guarantee  that  it  affords  means  to  obtain 
surplus  honey,  as  much  in  quantity  and  in  any  way 
which  fancy  may  dictate,  whether  in  wood  or  glass, 
and  what  is  more  than  all,  it  shall  cost  nothing  for 
the  privilege  of  using. 


SIZE   IMPORTANT. 


After  deciding  what  kind  of  hive  we  want,  the 
next  important  point  is  the  size.  Dr.  Bevan,  an 
English  author,  recommends  a  size  "eleven  and  three- 
eighths  inches  square,  by  nine  deep  in  the  clear," 
making  only  about  1200  inches,  and  so  few  pounds 
necessary  to  winter  the  bees,  that  when  I  read  it,  I  found 
myself  wondering  if  the  English  inch  and  pound  were 
the  same  as  ours. 


SMALL  HIVES  MORE  LIABLE  TO  ACCIDENTS 

At  all  events,  I  think  it  too  small  for  our  Yankee 
bees  in  any  place.  We  must  remember,  that  the  queen 
needs  room  for  all  her  eggs,  and  the  bees  need  space 
to  store  their  winter  provisions ;  for  reasons  before 
given,  this  should  be  in  one  apartment.  When  this 
is  too  small,  the  consequences  will  be,  their  winter 
supply  of  food  is  liable  to  run  out.  The  swarms  from 
such  will  be  smaller  and  the  stock  much  more  liable  to 
accidents,  which  soon  finish  them  off. 


HIVES.  43 


APT  TO  DECEIVE. 


Yet  I  can  imagine  how  one  can  be  deceived  by  such 
a  small  hive,  and  recommend  it  strongly  ;  especially 
if  patented.  Suppose  you  locate  a  large  swarm  in  a 
hive  near  the  size  of  Dr.  Bevan's ;  the  bees  would 
occupy  nearly  all  the  room  with  brood-combs ;  now 
if  you  put  on  boxes,  and  as  soon  as  filled  put  on 
empty  ones,  the  amount  of  surplus  honey  would  be 
great ;  very  satisfactory  for  the  first  summer,  but  in 
a  year  or  two  your  little  hive  is  gone.  This  result 
will  be  in  proportion  as  we  enlarge  our  hives,  until 
we  arrive  at  the  opposite  extreme. 


UNPROFITABLE  IF  TOO  LARGE. 


If  too  large,  more  honey  will  be  stored  than  is  requir- 
ed for  their  winter  use.  It  is  evident  a  portion  might 
have  been  taken,  if  it  had  been  stored  in  boxes.  The 
swarms  will  not  be  proportion  ably  large  when  they  do 
issue,  which  is  seldom — but  there  is  this  advantage,  they 
last  a  long  time,  and  are  but  little  profit  in  surplus 
honey,  or  swarms. 

CORRECT  SIZE  BETWEEN  TWO  EXTREMES. 

jr 

Between  the  two  extremes,  like  most  other  cases,  is 
found  the  correct  place.  A  hive  twelve  inches  square, 
each  way,  inside,  has  been  recommended  as  the  cor- 
rect size.  Here  are  1728  cubic  inches.  This,  I  think, 
is  sufiicient  for  many  places,  as  the  queen  probably 
has  all  the  room  necessary  for  depositing  her  eggs ;  and 
as  the  swarms  are  more  numerous,  and  nearly  as  large 


44  HIVES. 

as  from  hives  much  larger ;  also,  there  is  room  for  honey 
sufficient  to  carry  the  bees  through  the  winter,  at  least, 
in  many  sections  south  of  40  degrees  latitude,  where 
the  winter  is  somewhat  short. 

SIZE  FOR  WARM  LATITUDES. 

This  size  will  also  do  in  this  latitude  (42  degrees,) 
in  some  seasons,  but  not  at  all  in  others.*  Not  one 
swarm  in  fifty  will  consume  twenty-five  lbs.  of  honey 
through  the  winter,  that  is,  from  the  last  of  Sej^teviber 
to  the  first  of  April,  (six  months).  The  average  loss 
in  that  time  is  about  eighteen  lbs. ;  but  the  critical 
time  is  later  ;  about  the  last  of  May,  or  first  of  June, 
in  many  places. 

LARGER     HIVE    MORE    SAFE    FOR    LONG   WINTERS    OR    BACKWARD 
SPRING. 

About  the  first  of  April  they  commence  collecting 
pollen  and  rearing  their  young ;  by  the  middle 
of  May  all  good  stocks  will  occupy  nearly,  if  not 
quite  all,  their  brood-combs  for  that  purpose,  but  little 
honey  is  obtained  before  fruit  blossoms  appear  ;  when 
these  are  gone,  no  more  of  any  amount  is  obtained 
until  clover  appears,  which  is  some  ten  days  later. 
(I  am  speaking  now  particularly  of  this  section  ;  I  am 
aware  it  is  very  different  in  other  places,  where  dif- 
ferent flowers  exist.)    Now  if  this  season  of  fruit  flow- 

*  When  Mr.  Miner  wrote  hia  manual  recommending  this  size,  1728 
inches,  for  all  situations,  it  should  be  remembered  he  lived  on  Long 
Island.  Since  removing  to  Oneida  County  jn  this  State,  either  his 
own  experience  or  some  other  cause  has  changed  his  views,  as  he  now 
recommends  my  size,  viz.,  2000  inches. 


HIVES.  45 

ers  should  be  accompaiiied  by  high  winds,  or  cold 
rainy  weather,  but  little  honey  is  obtained  ;  and  our 
bees  have  a  numerous  brood  on  hand  that  must  he  fed. 
In  this  emergency,  if  no  honey  is  on  hand  of  the 
previous  year,  a  famine  ensues ;  they  destroy  their 
drones,  perhaps  some  of  their  brood,  and  for  aught  I 
know  put  the  old  bees  on  short  allowance.  This  I  do 
know,  that  the  whole  family  has  actually  starved  at 
this  season;  sometimes  in  small  hives.  This  of  course 
depends  on  the  season ;  when  favorable,  nothing  of  the 
kind  occurs.  Prudence  therefore  dictates  the  neces- 
sity of  a  provision  for  this  emergency,  by  making  the 
hive  a  little  larger  for  northern  latitudes,  as  a  little 
more  honey  will  be  stored  to  take  them  through  this 
critical  period.  From  a  series  of  experiments  closely 
observed. 

2,000  INCHES    SAFE    FOR    TmS    SECTION. 

I  am  satisfied  that  2,000  inches  in  the  clear,  is  the 
proper  size  for  safety  in  this  section,  and  consequent- 
ly, profit.  On  an  average,  swarms  from  this  size  are 
as  large  as  any. 

The  dimensions  should  be  uniform  in  all  cases, 
whatever  size  is  decided  on.  It  is  folly  to  accommo- 
date each  swarm  with  a  hive  corresponding  in  size ; 
a  very  small  family  this  year,  may  be  very  large  next, 
and  a  very  laige  one,  very  small,  &c.  A  queen  be- 
longing to  a  small  swarm  will  be  capable  of  depositing 
as  many  eggs,  as  another  belonging  to  a  barrel  full. 
A  small  famil}'-  able  to  get  through  the  winter  and 
spring,  may  be  expected  by  another  year  to  be  as 
numerous  as  any. 


46  HIVES. 

KIND    OF    WOOD,  "WIDTH    OF   BOARD,  ETC. 

Of  the  kinds  of  wood  for  hives,  pine  is  preferable, 
still  other  kinds  will  do  ;  I  have  no  faith  in  bees  liking 
one  kind  better  than  another,  and  less  likely  to  leave 
on  that  account.  Hemlock  is  cheaper,  and  used  to  a 
great  extent ;  when  perfectly  sound  is  as  good  as  any- 
thing, but  is  very  liable  to  split,  even  after  the  bees  have 
been  in  them  some  time.  It  should  be  used  only  when 
better  wood  cannot  be  obtained.  Bass  wood  when 
used  for  hives  should  always  he  painted^  and  then  will 
be  very  liable  to  warp  from  the  moisture  arising  from 
the  bees  inside.  When  not  painted  outside,  and  allowed 
to  get  wet,  if  only  for  a  fiew  hours,  so  much  moisture 
is  absorbed  that  it  will  bend  outward,  and  cleave  from 
the  combs  and  crack  them.  A  few  days  of  dry  weath- 
er will  relieve  the  outside  of  water,  and  the  inside 
kept  moist  by  the  bees,  the  bending  will  be  reversed, 
and  the  combs  pressed  inward,  keeping  the  bees  fixing 
that  which  will  not  "  stay  fixed."  Perhaps  there  is 
wood  as  suitable  or  better  than  pine,  but  it  is  not  as 
common. 

Boards  should  be  selected,  if  possible,  that  will  be 
the  proper  width  to  make  the  hive  about  square,  of 
the  right  size.  Say  twelve  inches  square,  inside,  by 
fourteen   deep.     I   prefer  this  shape  to  any  other,  yet 

SHAPE  OF  NO  CONSEQUENCE. 

it  is  not  all  important.  I  have  had  some  ten  inches 
square  by  twenty  in  length  ;  they  were  awkward  look- 
ing, but  that  was  all,  I  could  discover  no  difference  in 
their  prosperity.  Also,  I  have  had  them  twelve  inches 
deep  by  thirteen  square,  with  the  same  result.  Hence, 


HIVES.  47 

if  we  avoid  extremes,  and  give  the  required  room,  the 

shape  can  make  but  little  difference. 

It  has  been  recommended  to  plane  the  boards  for 
hives,  "  inside  and  out ;"  but  bees,  when  first  put  into 
such  hive,  find  much  difficulty  in  holding  fast  until 
they  get  their  combs  started,  hence  this  trouble  is 
worse  than  useless. 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  MAKING  HIVES. 

K  hives  are  not  desired  of  the  cheapest  possible  con- 
struction, the  outside  may  be  planed  and  painted ;  but 
it  is  doubtful  whether  strict  economy  would  demand 
it.  Yet  a  painted  hive  appears  so  much  better,  that 
it  ought  to  be  done,  especially  as  the  paint  adds  al- 
most enough  to  its  durability  to  pay  the  expense. 
The  color  may  be  whatever  fancy  dictates ;  the  moth 
will  not  probably  be  attracted  by  one  color  more  than 
another.  White  is  affected  the  least  by  the  sun  in 
hot  weather.  Lime  is  put  on  as  white-wash,  annual- 
ly, by  many,  as  a  protection  against  insects. 

"When  hives  are  not  painted,  the  grain  should  never 
be  crosswise,  having  the  width  of  boards  form  the 
height ;  not  that  the  bees  would  have  any  dislike  to 
such,  but  nails  will  not  hold  firmly,  they  draw  out  in 
a  few  years.  The  size,  shape,  materials,  and  manner 
of  putting  together,  are  now  sufficiently  understood, 
for  what  I  want.  Sticks  half  an  inch  in  diameter, 
should  cross  each  way  through  the  centre,  to  help  sup- 
port the  combs.  A  hole  about  an  inch  diameter  in  the 
front  side,  half  way  to  the  top,  is  a  great  convenience 
for  the  bees  to  enter  when  coming  home  heavy  laden. 


'4'8  HIVES. 

It  now  remains  to  make  the  top,  cover,  and  boxes, 
(the  bottom-board  will  be  described  in  another  chap- 
ter.) The  tops  should  be  all  alike ;  boards  fifteen 
inches  square  are  just  the  right  size;  three-fourths  of 
an  inch  is  the  best  thickness,  (inch  will  do ;)  plane  the 
upper  side,  rabbet  out  around  the  edge  of  the  upper 
side  one  inch  wide,  and  three-eighths  deep  ;  this  will 
leave  the  top  inside  the  rabbeting,  just  thirteen  inches. 

SIZE  OF  CAP  AND  BOXES. 

A  box  for  a  cover  or  cap,  that  size  inside,  will  fit 
any  hive.  The  height  of  this  box  should  be  seven 
inches.  Of  course  other  sizes  will  do,  but  it  is  best  to 
commence  with  one  that  we  can  adhere  to  uniformly, 
and  no  vexations  arise  by  covers  not  fitting  exactly,  &c. 
I  think  this  size  is  as  near  correct  as  we  shall  be  likely 
to  get;  we  want  all  the  room  in  the  boxes  that  the  ma- 
jority of  our  stocks  demand  for  storing  in  a  yield  of 
honey,*  at  the  same  time  not  be  necessitated  to  give 
too  much  of  the  room  in  the  height.  They  will  com- 
mence work  in  a  box  five  inches  high,  much  sooner 
than  one  seven  or  eight.  To  give  the  requisite  room, 
and  have  the  boxes  less  than  five  inches  high,  would 
require  more  than  thirteen  inches  on  the  top,  this 
would  make  the  hive  too  much  out  of  shape ;  it  would 
appear  top-heavy. 

miner's  hive. 

Miner's  Equilateral  Hive  has  a  cap  somewhat  small- 
er than  this  in  diameter ;  consequently,  if  we  have  the 

*  I  have  added  a  side  box  occasionally,  but  it  has  seldom  paid  me 
For  the  trouble. 


HIVES.  49 

requisite  room,  it  must  be  in  its  height.  But  by 
making  the  cap  of  his  a  little  larger,  and  a  few  trifling 
alterations,  it  would  do  very  well  for  a  patent.  And 
if  any  one  must  have  a  patent  hive,  my  advice  is  to 
get  that ;  it  costs  but  two  dollars  for  the  right  of  using, 
and  is  nearer  what  we  want  for  bees,  than  any  I  ever 
saw.  I  prefer  rabbeting  around  the  edge  of  the  top,  in- 
stead of  nailing  on  a  thin  board  the  size  of  the  inside  of 
the  cover,  with  room  for  a  slide  under  it ;  it  affords  too 
nice  a  place  for  worms  to  spin  their  cocoons.  Also, 
without  the  rabbeting  water  may  get  under  the  cap, 
and  pass  along  the  top  till  a  hole  lets  it  among  the  bees. 
As  for  slides,  I  do  not  approve  of  them  at  all ;  in  shut- 
ting off  communication,  it  is  almost  certain  to  crush  a 
few  bees.  This  makes  them  irritable  for  a  week ; 
they  are  unnecessary  for  me,  at  least.  We  will  now 
finish  the  hive, 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    MAKING    HOLES. 

After  the  top  is  got  out  as  directed,  strike  a  line 
through  the  centre,  three  and  a  quarter  inches  from 
this,  make  another  on  each  side,  now  measure  on  one 
of  the  last  lines,  two  and  a  half  inches  for  the  first 
hole,  two  inches  for  the  next,  and  so  on  till  five  are 
marked  on  this,  and  the  same  number  on  the  other 
side,  ten  in  all ;  these  holes  should  be  about  an  inch 
diameter,  a  pattern  three  and  a  quarter  inches  wide, 
and  thirteen  in  length,  with  places  for  holes  marked 
on  it,  will  save  time  when  many  are  made.  When 
this  top  is  nailed  on,  the  hive  is  ready.  A  less  num- 
ber of  holes  is  often  used,  and  one  is  thought  by  some 
to  be  sufficient ;  experience  has  satisfied  me  that  the 
3 


50  HIVES. 

more  room  bees  have  to  enter  boxes,  the  less  reluc- 
tance is  manifested  in  commenciog  their  work  in 
them  ;  but  here  is  another  extreme  to  be  avoided : 
when  the  holes  are  much  larger,  or  more  of  them,  or 
even  one  ver}^  large  one,  the  queen  is  very  apt  to  go 
into  the  boxes  and  deposit  her  eggs,  which  renders  the 
comb  tough,  dark,  &c.,  also  bee-bread  is  stored  near 
the  brood.  Dr.  Bevan's  and  Miner's  cross-bar  hives 
are  objectionable  on  this  account,  they  offer  too  free 
access  to  the  boxes ;  we  want  all  the  room  that  will 
answer,  and  no  more. 

A    SUGGESTION. 

Mr.  Miner's  cross-bar  hive  is  intended  to  make  the 
bees  construct  all  straight  combs,  and  probably  will 
do  it.  But  the  disadvantage  of  bee-bread  and  brood 
in  the  boxes  will  not  be  made  up  by  straight  combs. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  have  been  made  to  be- 
lieve straight  combs  all  important^  and  perhaps  have 
purchased  the  right  to  make  the  hive,  and  had  some 
constructed,  and  have  found  bee-bread  in  their  surplus 
honey,  I  would  suggest  an  improvement,  (that  is,  if 
it  is  thought  the  straight  combs  will  pay.  If  you  have 
not  the  right  for  the  cross-bar  hive,  and  you  wish  to 
use  it,  I  would  say,  buy  the  right,  and  remove  all 
grounds  of  complaint  with  him.)  Put  in  the  bars  and 
hive  your  bees  as  he  directs.  After  all  the  combs  are 
started,  instead  of  setting  the  open  bottom  boxes 
(which  are  also  unsuitable  for  sending  to  market)  di- 
rectly on  the  bars  as  he  recommends,  take  off  the 
cloth,  and  with  screws  fasten  on  a  top  with  ten  holes, 


HIVES.  51 

that  I  have  just  described ;  and  then  you  will  have 
the  straight  combs,  and  surplus  honey  in  the  boxes 
pure. 

GLASS    BOXES    PREFERRED. 

Having  told  how  I  make  a  hive,  I  will  now  give 
some  reasons  for  preferring  a  particular  kind  of  boxes. 
I  have  taken  great  quantities  of  honey  to  market,  put 
up  in  every  style,  such  as  tumblers,  glass  jars,  glass 
boxes,  wooden  boxes  with  glass  ends,  and  boxes  all 
wood.  I  have  found  the  square  glass  boxes  the  most 
profitable  ;  the  honey  in  such  appears  to  the  best 
possible  advantage,  so  much  so,  that  the  majority  of 
purchasers  prefer  paying  for  the  box  at  the  same  rate 
as  the  honey,  than  the  wood  box,  and  have  the  tare 
allowed.  This  rate  of  selling  boxes  always  pays  the 
cost,  while  we  get  nothing  for  the  wood.  Another 
advantage  in  this  kind  of  boxes  is,  while  being  filled, 
the  progress  can  be  watched,  and  the  time  they  are 
finished  known  precisely,  when  they  should  be  taken 
ofif,  as  every  day  they  remain  after  that,  soils  the  purity 
of  the  combs. 

GLASS    BOXES HOW    MABE. 

Directions  for  making. — Select  half-inch  boards  of 
pine  or  other  soft  light  wood,  cut  the  length  twelve 
and  three-quarters  inches,  width  six  and  three-eighths 
inches,  dress  down  the  thickness  to  three-eighths  or 
less,  two  pieces  for  a  box,  top  and  bottom,  in  the  bot- 
tom bore  five  holes  throughout  the  centre  to  match 
with  those  in  the  top  of  the  hive,  (the  pattern  used 


52  HIVES. 

in  marking  the  top  of  hives  is  just  the  one  to  mark 
these).  Next,  get  out  the  corner  posts,  five-eighths 
of  an  inch  square,  and  five  inches  in  length ;  with  a 
saw,  thick  enough  to  fit  the  glass,  cut  a  channel  length- 
wise on  two  sides,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  deep,  one- 
eighth  from  the  corner,  for  the  glass.  A  small  lath 
nail  through  each  corner  of  the  bottom  into  the  posts 
will  hold  them ;  it  is  now  ready  for  the  glass — 10  X  12 
is  the  right  size  to  get — have  them  cut  through  the 
centre  the  longest  way  for  the  sides,  and  they  are 
right,  and  again  the  other  way,  five  and  five-eighths 
long  for  the  ends.  These  can  now  be  slipped  into  the 
channels  of  the  posts,  and  the  top  nailed  on  like  the 
bottom,  and  the  box  is  ready. 

GUIDE-COMBS  NECESSARY. 

It  will  be  found  a  great  advantage,  previous  to  nail- 
ing on  the  top,  to  stick  fast  to  it  some  pieces  of  guide- 
combs  in  the  direction  you  wish  the  bees  to  work. 
They  are  also  an  inducement  for  them  to  commence 
several  days  sooner,  than  if  they  had  to  start  combs 
for  themselves  ;*  a  piece  an  inch  square  will  do;  it 
is  well  to  start  every  comb  you  want  in  the  box; 
two  inches  apart  is  about  the  right  distance  to  look 
well.  To  make  these  pieces  hold  fast,  melt  one  edge 
by  the  fire,  or  candle,  or  melt  some  bees- wax,  and  dip 
one  edge  in  that,  and  apply  it  before  cooling ;  with  a 
little  practice  you  can  make  them  stick  without  diffi- 
culty.    For  a  supply  of  such  combs,  save  all  empty, 

*  A  line  of  bees-wax  made  with  a  guide-plate,  or  other  means,  ia 
found  to  be  of  but  little  use. 


HIVES.  53 

clean,  white   pieces  you  can,  when  removing  combs 
from  a  hive. 

If  you  have  any  way  superior  to  this  for  making 
glass  boxes,  so  much  the  better,  make  them  so  by  all 
means :  "  The  best  way  is  as  good  as  anj-."  I  give  my 
method  to  be  used  only  when  better  is  not  convenient. 
K  you  sell  honey,  I  think  you  will  find  it  an  advantage 
to  have  glass  boxes  made  in  some  way.  Two  of  this 
size  when  full  weigh  25  lbs.  If  preferred,  four  boxes 
six  and  three-eighths  inches  square,  can  be  used  for  a 
hive  instead  of  two ;  the  expense  of  making  is  a  little 
more  for  the  same  number  of  lbs.,  yet,  when  it  is  in 
market,  a  few  customers  will  prefer  this  size. 

WOOD  BOXES, 

For  home  consumption,  the  wood-box  will  answer 
equally  well  for  all  purposes  of  obtaining  the  honey, 
but  will  give  no  chance  to  watch  the  progress  of  the 
bees,  unless  a  glass  is  inserted  for  the  purpose,  and  then, 
it  will  need  a  door  to  keep  it  dark,  or  a  cover  over  the 
whole  like  the  one  for  glass  boxes,  may  be  put  on. 
Wood  boxes  are  generally  made  with  open  bottom,  and 
set  on  the  top  of  the  hive.  A  passage  for  the  bees  out 
of  the  box  to  the  open  air  is  unnecessary,  and  worse 
than  useless.  They  like  to  store  their  honey  as  far 
from  the  entrance  as  possible.  Unless  crowded  for 
room,  they  will  not  store  much  there  when  such  en- 
trances are  made. 

Whether  we  intend  to  consume  our  surplus  honey 
or  not,  it  is  as  well  to  have  the  hives  and  covers  made 
in  a  manner  that  we  can  use  glass,  when  we  are  likely 


54  HIVES. 

to  have  some  to  spare.  I  am  not  sure,  but  it  would 
pay  to  make  hives  in  this  way,  even  if  glass  boxes 
were  never  used;  the  rabbeting  prevents  light  as  well 
as  water  from  passing  under  the  cover ;  imagine  a  box 
set  on  a  plain  board  nailed  on  for  a  top,  without  the 
rabbeting ;  the  warping  or  bending  admits  the  light 
and  water,  especially  when  hives  are  out  in  the  wea- 
ther, (and  I  shall  not  recommend  any  other  way  of 
keeping  them.) 

COVER  FOR  HIVES. 

I  have  termed  the  cap  or  box  a  cover;  but  this 
should  also  be  covered  with  a  board  laid  on,  if 
nothing  else.  A  good  roof  for  each  hive  can  be 
made  by  fastening  two  boards  together  like  the  roof 
of  a  building ;  let  it  be  about  18  by  24  inches ;  it  being 
loose,  can  be  changed  in  accordance  with  the  season  ; 
in  spring,  let  the  sun  strike  the  hive  ;  but  in  hot  wea- 
ther let  the  longest  end  project  over  the  south  side, 
&c.  You  can  ornament  this  hive,  if  you  choose,  by 
mouldings  or  dentals,  under  the  top,  Avhere  it  projects 
over  the  body  of  the  hive,  also  the  cap  can  have  the 
top  projected  a  little  and  receive  the  same  addition. 

.TARS  AND  TUMBLERS — HOW  PREPARED. 

When  jars,  tumblers,  or  other  vessels,  that  are  all 
glass,  are  used,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  fasten  as 
many  pieces  of  combs  as  you  wi«h  made,  in  the  top,  for 
a  beginning,  or  fasten  a  piece  of  wood  there  ;  as  they 
seldom  commence  building  on  glass,  without  a  start. 

Some  of  you  may  have  seen  paraded  at  our  fairs, 


GLASS   HIVES.  55 

or  in  the  public  parts  of  some  of  our  cities,  hives  con- 
taining tumblers,  some  of  them  neatly  filled,  others 
empty,  and  this  magic  sentence  "\^Titten  upon  them, 
not  to  he  filed  !  Pretending  to  govern  the  bees,  as  the 
juggler  sometimes  does  his  tricks,  by  mysterious  in- 
cantations !  I  once  encountered  an  agent  of  this  hum- 
bug, and  modestly  suggested  to  him  that  I  had  a  coun- 
ter charm :  that  I  could  put  a  tumbler  on  his  hive 
and  it  would  be  filled  if  the  others  were,  however  much 
he  might  forbid  it  by  written  charms !  He  saw  at  a 
glance  how  the  matter  stood ;  I  was  not  the  customer 
he  wanted,  and  intimated  that  the  show  Avas  only  in- 
tended for  the  extreme  verdancy  of  most  visitors.  It 
no  doubt  assisted  in  displaying  his  profound  knowledge 
in  bee  management,  which  he  wished  to  establish,  as 
he  had  a  little  work  on  the  subject  to  sell,  also  hives, 
and  bees.  The  reader  no  doubt  will  guess  as  I  did, 
the  reason  that  those  tumblers  were  not  filled,  was  be- 
cause no  combs  were  put  in  for  a  start. 

PERFECT  OBSERVATORY  HIVE  DESCRIBED. 

There  are  many  things  pertaining  to  bees  that  can- 
not be  properly  examined  and  understood,  without  a 
glass  hive  of  some  sort.  Yet  a  perfect  observatory 
hive  containing  but  one  comb,  is  not  a  perfect  hive  for 
the  bees.  "We  can  see  very  well  what  the  bees  are 
doing,  but  it  is  not  a.  tenement  they  would  choose  if 
left  to  themselves.  It  forces  them  to  labor  in  an  un- 
natural manner,  is  unsuitable  for  wintering  bees,  and 
otherwise  but  little  profit.  If  the  satisfaction  of  wit- 
nessing some  of  their  operations  more  perfectly  than 


56  GLASS  HIVES. 

in  glass  hives  of  another  kind  will  not  pay,  it  is 
doubtful  if  we  get  it.  I  will  describe  it  as  briefly  as 
possible.  Two  frames  or  sashes  about  two  and  a  half 
feet  square,  containing  glass,  are  so  fastened  together 
as  to  leave  room  for  only  one  comb  between  them, 
about  an  inch  and  three-fourths  apart.  A  comb  of 
this  size  will  not  support  itself  by  the  top  and  edges ; 
hence,  it  is  necessary  to  put  in  numerous  cross-bars  to 
assist  in  supporting  it.  Outside  the  glass  are  doors  to 
keep  the  whole  dark,  to  be  opened  when  we  wish  to 
inspect  proceedings.  Under  the  bottom  is  a  board  or 
frame,  to  keep  it  in  an  upright  position,  &c.  Probably 
but  few  will  be  induced  to  make  one.  I  will  therefore 
describe  another;  a  hive  that  I  think  will  pay  better. 

ONE  LIKE  COMMON  HIVE  PREFERRED. 

If  we  expect  to  know  what  bees  are  doing  in  ordi- 
nary hives,  we  must  have  one  similar  in  every  respect, 
in  size,  shape,  number  of  bees,  &c.  The  construction 
of  royal  cells  will  be  watched  by  most  observers  with 
the  greatest  interest ;  now  these  are  generally  on  one 
edge  of  the  combs.  The  bees  leave  a  space  half  an 
inch  or  more  between  the  edges  of  the  combs  and  one 
side  of  the  hive,  near  half  the  length  of  it,  appar- 
ently for  no  other  purpose  but  to  have  room  for  these 
cells,  as  the  other  edges  of  the  same  combs  are 
generally  attached  to  the  hive  at  the  bottom. 

WHAT  MAY  BE  SEEN. 

Now  instead  of  having  one  piece  or  pane  of  glass 
in   the   side  of  several   hives,    I   would   recommend 


GLASS   HIVES.  57 

having  one  or  more  with  glass  on  every  side  ;  because 
we  might  ha\e  it  on  three  sides,  and  not  the  fourth; 
and  this  might  contain  all  the  queen  cells,  and  we 
should  miss  an  im};iortant  sight.  There  are  many 
other  things  to  be  witnessed  in  such  a  hive.  The 
queen  may  be  often  seen  depositing  her  eggs !  "We 
may  see  the  workers  detach  the  scales  of  wax  from 
their  abdomen,  and  apply  them  to  the  combs  during 
the  process  of  construction,  see  them  deposit  pollen 
from  their  legs,  store  their  honey,  feed  the  queen, 
each  other,  their  young  brood,  seal  over  cells  contain- 
ing brood,  honey,  &c.  It  is  further  useful  as  a  guide 
for  putting  boxes  on  other  hives,  (that  is,  if  it  is  a 
good  one,  which  it  should  be) ;  we  can  easily  ascertain 
whether  our  bees  are  gaining  or  losing. 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  MAKING  GLASS  HIVE. 

My  method  of  making  them  is  as  follows  :  The  top 
is  like  those  for  other  hives,  fifteen  inches  square, 
adapted  to  boxes  and  cover.  This  hive  we  want  to 
be  as  profitable  as  any,  giving  us  surplus  honey,  and 
swarms  like  others.  Four  posts  are  then  got  out,  two 
inches  square,  and  thirteen  in  length  ;  care  should  be 
taken  to  have  the  ends  perfectly  square. 

A  frame  is  then  to  be  made,  just  fourteen  inches 
square  outside,  for  the  bottom ;  the  pieces  are  one 
inch  thick,  by  two  in  width,  halved  together  at  the 
corners.  A  guage-mark  is  then  made  around  the 
ander  side  of  the  top,  half  an  inch  from  the  edge,  a 
post  is  then  set  inside  of  each  corner  of  this  mark,  and 
thoroughly  nailed,  the  bottom  is  nailed  on  with  the 


58  GLASS   HIVES. 

posts  even  with  the  outside  corners.  Four  pieces  an 
inch  thick,  and  an  inch  and  a  half  wide,  are  fitted  be- 
tween the  posts,  even  with  the  guage-mark  on  the  top. 
Sixteen  strips,  about  one  quarter  by  half  an  inch,  are 
got  out,  eight  to  be  ten,  and  eight  twelve  inches  long. 

A  guage-mark  one  inch  from  posts,  bottom,  &c.,  ia 
the  place  to  nail  these  strips ;  very  small  nails  or  tacks 
will  hold  them.  The  panes  of  glass  are  to  rest  against 
them,  which  are  held  in  their  places  by  small  pieces 
of  tin,  or  brads.  The  doors  are  the  size  of  the  glass, 
10  X 12,  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick  ;  these 
doors  are  cut  a  little  too  short,  and  the  pieces,  to  pre- 
vent warping,  are  nailed  on  the  ends ;  these  are  hung 
to  a  post  on  one  side,  and  secured  by  a  button  on  the 
other.  On  two  opposite  sides  inside  the  posts,  half 
way  up,  two  strips,  half  an  inch  by  three  quarters,  are 
nailed,  with  holes  in  them  for  the  cross-sticks ;  one  way 
is  enough  if  you  have  guide-combs  for  a  start,  like 
those  recommended  for  boxes,  so  that  the  sheets  will 
be  at  right  angles  with  them ;  otherwise,  let  the  sticks 
cross  both  ways,  about  three  each  way  will  be  needed, 
as  the  glass  at  the  edges  is  not  so  good  a  support  as 
wood. 

The  cap  can  be  made  of  half  inch  boards  ;  the  top 
to  project  over  like  the  hive,  or  let  it  be  a  little  more 
than  half  an  inch,  it  will  admit  a  heavier  moulding, 
which  should  surround  it  here,  as  well  as  at  the  top 
of  the  hive,  or  if  it  is  prefered,  dentals  can  be  used, 
and  look  equally  well — when  no  ornament  is  wanted, 
omit  it.  But  painting  seems  necessary  for  such  hives, 
to   prevent  warping,  and  the  swelling  of  the  doors 


GLASS   HIVES.  59 

in  wet  weather ;  these  want  to  open  and  shut  ^dthout 
rubbing  or  sticking,  otherwise  we  disturb  the  bees 
every  time  a  door  is  stirred.  Putty  should  not  be  used 
to  hold  the  glass,  as  the  bees  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  will  cover  it  with  propohs ;  it  is  then  neces 
sary  to  take  it  out,  and  scrape,  clean,  and  return  it, 
when,  if  fastened  with  putty,  it  would  be  difficult ; 
cold  weather  is  the  time  for  this  operation.  I  am  aware 
that  a  hive  can  be  more  substantially  made  than  the 
one  here  described ;  but  I  have  endeavored  to  make 
one  as  cheap  as  possible,  and  if  properly  made,  will 
answer.  The  cost  will  be  much  less  than  many  pa- 
tents, and  the  satisfaction  much  more,  at  least,  with 
many.  When  our  hive  contains  a  swarm  of  bees,  and 
they  are  thoroughly  in  operation,  we  must  not  let 
them  pass  out  at  the  bottom  on  every  side,  as  they 
are  frequently  allowed  to  do  from  other  hives ;  be- 
cause, should  one  come  out  a  little  excited  in  conse- 
quence of  a  slight  jar,  accidentally  given  the  hive,  on 
opening  the  door  or  some  other  way,  and  should  find  our 
face  within  a  foot  of  their  house,  peering  in  the  window 
among  their  works,  it  would  be  very  likely  to  give  us 
a  gentle  hint  that  it  was  a  mark  of  low  breeding,  that 
we  were  not  wanted  there  at  all,  and  that  it  was  none 
of  our  business  what  they  were  doing.  To  prevent 
this  as  far  as  possible,  a  bottom-board,  somewhat  dif- 
ferent from  the  common  one,  is  needed.  Four  posts 
of  chestnut  or  other  lasting  wood,  about  two  inches 
square,  are  driven  into  the  earth  in  the  form  of  a 
square,  far  enough  apart  to  come  under  the  corners  of 
the  bottom-board,  (fifteen  inches,)  and  high  enough  for 


60  GLASS  HIVES. 

convenience  when  looking  into  the  hive.  The  ends  of 
these  posts  are  to  be  perfectly  level,  and  to  which  the 
bottom  is  to  be  nailed  fast.  As  the  hive  is  to  sit  per- 
fectly close  to  the  board,  a  passage  must  be  made 
through  it,  as  well  as  means  for  ventilation  in  hot 
weather,  without  raising  the  hive  for  that  purpose.  It 
requires  a  board  about  fifteen  inches  square,  planed 
smooth,  the  ends  clamped  to  prevent  warping  or  split- 
ting ;  a  portion  of  the  centre  is  taken  out,  say  six 
inches  by  ten,  and  wire  cloth  nailed  over,  four-ounce 
tacks  will  hold  it,  fasten  it  just  enough  to  keep  the 
bees  from  getting  through ;  very  likely  it  will  want  to 
be  taken  off"  occasionally  and  cleaned  from  the  propo- 
lis that  will  be  spread  over  it.  It  is  is  easiest  done  in 
freezing  weather. 

Take  an  edge  in  each  hand,  and  rock  the  wires  a 
few  times  out  of  square,  and  it  will  readily  crumble 
and  fall  out.  In  warm  weather  it  must  be  scalded  or 
burnt  off.  To  close  this  space,  a  moving  slide  is  fixed 
in  grooves  under-side,  fastened  to  the  posts  or  board. 
The  slide  is  to  be  moved  in  accordance  with  the 
weather,  when  cold,  close  it,  when  hot,  withdraw  it, 
and  give  the  bees  as  much  air  as  possible,  without 
raising  the  hive,  the  whole  of  such  space  is  as  much 
ventilation  as  ordinary  hives  raised  an  inch.  (Wire 
cloth  is  needed  for  other  purposes,  it  is  best  to  pro- 
cure some,  even  at  considerable  trouble  and  expense.) 
On  the  side  of  the  board  intended  for  the  front,  two 
inches  from  the  edge  of  the  wire  cbth,  a  passage  is 
cut  for  the  bees,  three-eights  of  an  inch  wide,  by 
eleven  in  length.     "But  how  is  the  bees  to  get   to 


GLASS   HIVES. 


61 


this  place,  so  inconvenient,  something  is  needed  to 
assist  them  ? '  Certainly,  Sir  ;  an  alighting  board, 
eleven  inches  wide,  and  about  two  feet  long,  (not 
planed),  is  placed  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees, 
between  the  two  front  posts  of  your  stand,  the  upper 
end  passing  under  the  bottom,  far  enough  back  ;  to  be 
just   even  with  the  back-side  of  the  passage  for  the 


62  BREEDING. 

bees.  The  bees  alight  on  this  board,  and  walk  up  into 
the  hive  without  difficulty.  When  the  bees  are  at 
work  jDretty  freely,  and  a  door  of  this  hive  is  opened, 
those  that  are  about  departing  will  be  very  likely  to 
get  on  the  glass,  instead  of  through  the  opening  at  the 
bottom  ;  seeing  the  light  through  the  glass,  they  endea- 
vor to  escape  by  the  nearest  route.  When  so  many 
gather  here  as  to  prevent  a  good  view,  and  you  wish 
to  observe  further,  shut  the  door  a  moment  and  they 
will  leave  through  their  own  passage,  when  you  can 
open  your  door  again,  for  a  short  time.  After  the 
hive  is  filled  with  combs,  the  number  attracted  to  the 
glass  on  opening  a  door  will  be  much  less. 

The  plate  on  the  preceding  page  represents  a  glass 
hive,  cover,  and  stand.  The  common  hive  can  be 
made  equally  ornamental,  if  you  choose ;  this  kind 
of  stand  is  unnecessary  for  them.  I  use  such  as  are 
recommended  on  page  138. 


CHAPTEE   III. 

BREEDING. 
IMPERFECTLY    UNDERSTOOD. 


The  time  that  bees  commence  raising  their  young 
brood  is  but  imperfectly  understood  by  most  people. 
Many  persons  that  have  kept  them  for  years,  have 
bestowed  so  little  attention  on  this  point,  that  they  are 
unable  to  tell  at  what  time  they  commence,  how  they 


BREEDING.  63 

progress,  or  when  they  cease.  A  kind  of  an  idea 
that  one  swarm,  and  occasionally  two  or  three,  are 
reared  sometime  in  June,  or  fore  part  of  summer,  is 
about  the  extent  of  their  reflections  on  the  subject. 
Whether  the  drones  deposit  the  eggs,  or  that  a  portion 
of  the  workers  are  females,  and  each  raise  a  young 
one  or  two,  or  whether  the  "king  bee"  is  the  chap 
for  laying  eggs,  is  a  matter  beyond  their  ability  to  an- 
swer. It  is  but  a  few  years  since,  that  a  correspondent 
of  a  Journal  of  Agriculture  denied  the  existence  of  a 
queen  bee,  giving  the  best  reasons  he  had,  no  doubt, 
that  is,  he  had  never  seen  one.  But  bee-keepers  of 
this  class  are  so  few,  it  is  unnecessary  to  waste 
time  to  convince  them ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  a  queen 
exists  with  every  prosperous  swarm,  and  all  apiarians 
with  much  pretensions  to  science,  acknowledge  the 
fact,  also,  that  she  is  the  mother  of  the  whole  famih\ 
The  period  at  which  they  commence  depositing 
eggs  probably  depends  on  the  strength  of  the  colony, 
amount  of  honey  on  hand,  &c.,  and  not  the  time 
they  commence  gathering  food. 

GOOD    STOCK    SELDOM    WITHOUT    BROOD. 

I  once  removed  the  bees  from  a  hive  on  the  tenth 
of  January,  and  found  brood  amounting  to  about  five 
hundred,  sealed  over,  and  others  in  every  stage  of 
growth  down  to  the  egg. 

This  hive  had  been  in  the  house,  and  kept  warm ; 
it  will  doubtless  be  supposed  that  being  kept  warm 
was  the  cause  ;  but  this  is  not  a  solitary  instance.  A 
neighbor   lost  a  hive   the   fourteenth   February,    in 


64  BREEDING. 

weather  cold  enough  to  seal  the  entrance  with  ice,  and 
smother  the  bees.  I  assisted  to  remove  the  combs,  and 
found  young  brood  in  abundance,  from  the  perfect 
bee,  through  all  stages  of  growth.  This  stock  had 
been  in  the  cold  all  winter.  I  have  further  noticed, 
vvhen  sweeping  out  the  litter  under  the  hives  early  in 
spring,  say  the  first  of  March,  that  young  bees  would 
often  be  found  under  the  best  stocks.  Hence  it  ap- 
pears there  is  but  little  time,  and  perhaps  none,  when 
our  best  stocks  have  no  brood.  Yet  stocks,  when 
very  weak,  do  not  commence  till  warm  weather.  It 
seems  that  a  certain  degree  of  warmth  is  necessary  to 
perfect  the  brood,  which  a  small  family  cannot  gen- 
erate. 

HOW    SMALL    STOCKS    COMMENCE. 

The  first  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  centre  of  the 
cluster  of  bees,  in  a  small  family ;  it  may  not  be  in 
the  centre  of  the  hive  in  all  cases  ;  but  the  middle  of 
the  cluster  is  the  warmest  place,  wherever  located. 
Here  the  queen  will  first  commence  ;  a  few  cells,  or  a 
space  not  larger  than  a  dollar,  is  first  used,  those 
exactly  023posite  on  the  same  comb  are  next  occupied. 
K  the  warmth  of  the  hive  will  allow,  whether  mild 
weather  produces  it,  or  the  family  be  large  enough  to 
generate  that  which  is  artificial,  appears  to  make  no 
difference  ;  she  will  then  take  the  next  combs  exactly 
corresponding  with  the  first  commencement,  but  not 
quite  as  large  a  place  is  used  as  in  the  first  comb.  The 
circle  of  eggs  in  the  first  is  then  enlarged,  and  more 
are  added  in  the  next,  &c.,  continuing  to  spread  to  the 


BREEDING.  66 

next  combs,  keeping  the  distance  to  Ae  outside  of  the 
circle  of  eggs,  to  the  centre  or  place  of  beginning, 
about  equal  on  all  sides,  until  thej  occupy  the  outside 
comb.  Long  before  the  outside  comb  is  occupied, 
the  first  eggs  deposited  are  matured,  and  the  queen 
will  return  to  the  centre,  and  use  these  cells  again,  but 
is  not  so  particular  this  time  to  fill  so  many  in  such 
exact  order  as  at  first.  This  is  the  general  process  of 
small  or  medium  sized  families.  I  have  removed  the 
bees  from  such,  in  all  stages  of  breeding,  and  always 
found  their  proceedings  as  described. 

DIFFERENT    WITH    LARGER    ONES. 

But  with  very  large  families,  their  proceedings  are 
different :  as  any  part  of  the  cluster  of  bees  is  warm 
enough  for  breeding,  there  is  less  necessity  for  econo- 
mizing heat,  and  having  all  the  eggs  confined  to  one 
small  spot,  some  unoccupied  cells  will  be  found  among 
the  brood  ;  a  few  will  contain  honey  and  bee-bread. 

HOW    POLLEN    IS    STORED    IN    THE    BREEDING    SEASON. 

But  in  the  height  of  the  breeding  season,  a  circle  of 
cells  nearly  all  bee-bread,  an  inch  or  two  wide,  will 
border  the  sheets  of  comb  containing  brood.  As  bee- 
bread  is  probably  the  principal  food  of  the  young  bee, 
it  is  thus  very  convenient. 

When  pollen  is  abundant,  and  the  swarm  is  in 
prosperous  condition,  they  soon  reach  the  outside 
sheets  of  comb  with  the  brood.  At  this  period,  when 
the  hive  is  about  full,  and  tne  queen  is  forced  to  the 
outside  combs  to  find  a  place  for  her  eggs,  it  is  inter- 


66  BREEDING. 

esting  to  witness  operations  in  a  glass  hive.  I  have 
seen  her  several  times  during  one  day,  on  the  same 
piece  of  comb  (next  the  glass).  The  light  has  no 
immediate  effect  on  her  "Highness,"  as  she  will  quietly 
continue  about  her  duty,  not  the  least  embarrassed  by 
curious  eyes  at  the  window.  Before  depositing  an 
egg,  she  enters  the  cell  head  first,  probably  to  ascer- 
tain if  it  is  in  proper  condition  to  receive  it ;  as  a  cell 
part  filled  with  bee-bread  or  honey  is  never  used.  If 
the  area  of  combs  is  small,  or  the  family  is  small,  and 
cannot  protect  a  large  space  with  the  necessary  heat, 
she  will  often  deposit  two,  and  sometimes  three,  in 
one  cell  (the  supernumeraries  I  suppose  are  removed 
by  the  workers).  But  under  prosperous  circumstances, 
with  a  hive  of  suitable  size,  &c.,  this  emergency  is 
avoided. 

OPERATION    OF    LAYING    AND    THE    EGGS   DESCRIBED. 

When  a  cell  is  in  a  condition  to  receive  the  egg, 
on  withdrawing  her  head  she  immediately  curves 
her  abdomen,  and  inserts  it  a  few  seconds.  After 
leaving  it,  an  egg  may  be  seen  attached  by  one  end 
to  the  bottom ;  about  the  sixteenth  of  an  inch  in 
length,  slightly  curved,  very  small,  nearly  uniform 
the  whole  length,  abruptly  rounded  at  the  ends,  semi- 
transparent,  and  covered  with  a  very  thin  and  ex- 
tremely delicate  coat,  often  breaking  with  the  slightest 
touch. 

After  the  egg  has  been  about  three  days  in  the 
cell,  a  small  white  worm  may  be  seen  coiled  in  the 
bottom,  surrounded  with  a  milky-like  substance,  which 


BREEDING.  67 

is  its  food,  without  doubt.  How  this  food  is  prepared, 
is  merely  guess-work.  The  hypothesis  of  its  being 
chiefly  composed  of  pollen,  I  have  no  objection  to; 
as  it  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the  quantities  that  accu- 
mulate in  hives  that  lose  their  queen,  and  rear  no 
brood  (that  is,  when  a  requisite  number  of  workers 
are  so  left).  The  workers  may  be  seen  entering  the 
cell  every  few  minutes,  probably,  to  supply  this  food.* 

TIME  FROM  THE  EGG  TO  THE  PERFECT  BEE. 

In  about  six  days  it  is  sealed  over  with  a  convex 
waxen  lid.  It  is  now  hidden  from  our  sight  for  about 
twelve  days,  when  it  bites  off  the  cover,  and  comes 
forth  a  perfect  bee.  The  period  from  the  egg  to  the 
perfect  bee  varies  from  twenty  to  twenty-four  days ; 
average  about  twenty-two  for  workers,  twenty-four 
for  drones.  The  temperature  of  the  hive  will  vary 
some  with  the  atmosphere ;  it  is  also  governed  by  the 
number  of  bees.  A  low  temperature  probably  retards 
the  developemnt,  while  a  high  one  facilitates  it. 
You  may  have  seen  accounts  of  the  assiduous  atten- 
tions given  to  the  young  bee  when  it  first  emerges 
from  the  cell :  'tis  said  they  "  lick  it  all  over,  feed  it 
with  honey,"  &c.,  desperately  pleased  with  their  new 
acquisition. 

ROUGH  TREATMENT  OF  THE  YOUNG  BEE. 

Now.  if  you  expect  to  see  anything  of  this,  you 
must  watch  a  little  closer  than  I  have.     I  have  seen 

*  When  the  comb  in  our  glass  hive  is  new,  and  white,  these  ope- 
rations can  be  seen  more  distinctly  than  when  very  old  and  dark. 


t58  BREEDING. 

nundreds  when  biting  their  way  out.  Instead  of 
care  or  notice,  they  often  receive  rather  rough  treat- 
ment: the  .workers,  intent  on  other  matters,  will 
sometimes  come  in  contact  with  one  part  way  out 
the  cell,  with  force  sufficient  to  almost  dislocate  its 
neck;  yet  they  do  not  stop  to  see  if  any  harm  is  done, 
or  beg  pardon.  The  little  sufferer,  after  this  rude 
lesson,  scrambles  back  as  soon  as  possible  out  of  the 
way ;  enlarges  the  prison  door  a  little,  and  attempts 
again,  with  perhaps  the  same  success :  a  dozen  trials 
are  often  made  before  they  succeed.  When  it  does 
actually  leave,  it  seems  like  a  stranger  in  a  multitude, 
with  no  friend  to  counsel,  or  mother  to  direct.  It 
wanders  about  uncared  for  and  unheeded,  and  rarely 
finds  one  sufficiently  benevolent  to  bestow  even  the 
necessaries  of  life ;  but  does  sometimes.  It  is  gene- 
rally forced  to  learn  the  important  lesson  of  looking 
out  for  itself,  the  day  it  leaves  the  cradle.  A  cell 
containing  honey  is  sought  for,  where  its  immediate 
wants  are  all  supplied. 

GUESS    WORK. 

The  time  before  it  is  ready  to  leave  the  hive  for 
honey,  I  might  guess  would  be  two  or  three  days. 
Others  have  said  "it  would  leave  the  day  it  left  the 
cell;"  but  I  guess  they  guess  at  this  point.  They 
tell  us,  too,  that  after  the  bees  seal  over  the  cells 
containing  the  larvae,  "  they  immediately  commence 
spinning  their  cocoons,  which  takes  just  about  thirty- 
six  hours."  I  .think  it  very  likely;  but  when  I 
admit  it,  I  cannot  imagine  how  it  was  ascertained ; — 


BREEDING.  69 

the  faculty  of  looking  through  a  mill-stone  I  do  not 
possess,  and  it  requires  about  the  same  optical  pene- 
tration to  look  into  one  of  these  cells  after  it  is  sealed 
over,  as  it  is  all  perfect  darkness.  Suppose  we  drive 
away  the  bees  and  open  the  cell,  to  give  us  a  look  at 
the  interior :  the  little  insect  stops  its  labor  in  a  mo- 
ment, probably  from  the  effect  of  air  and  light.  I 
never  could  detect  one  in  its  labor.  Suppose  we 
open  these  cells  every  hour  after  sealing ;  can  we  tell 
anything  about  their  progress  by  the  appearance  of 
these  cocoons,  or  even  tell  when  they  are  finished? 
The  thickness  of  a  dozen  would  not  exceed  common 
writing  paper.  When  a  subject  is  obscure,  or  difficult 
to  ascertain,  like  this,  why  not  tell  us  how  they  found 
out  the  particulars ;  and  if  they  were  guessed  at,  be 
honest,  and  say  so  ?  When  the  bee  leaves  the  cell,  a 
cocoon  remains,  and  that  is  about  all  we  hioiv  about  it. 

TERMS  APPLIED  TO  YOUXG  BEES. 

The  young  bee,  when  it  first  leaves  the  egg^  is 
termed  grub,  maggot,  worm,  or  larva ;  from  this  state 
it  changes  to  the  shape  of  the  perfect  bee,  which  is 
said  to  be  three  days  after  finishing  the  cocoon ;  from 
the  time  of  this  change,  till  it  is  ready  to  leave  the 
cell,  the  terms  nymph,  pupa,  and  chrysalis,  are  applied. 
The  lid  of  the  drone's  cell  is  rather  more  convex  than 
that  of  the  worker's,  and  when  removed  by  the  young 
bee  to  work  its  way  out,  is  left  nearly  perfect ;  being 
cut  off  around  the  edges,  a  good  coat  or  lining  of  silk 
keeps  it  whole;  while  the  covering  of  the  worker's 
cell  is  mostly  wax,  and  is  pretty  well  cut  to  pieces  by 


70  BREEDING. 

the  time  the  bee  gets  out.  The  covering  to  the  queen's 
cell  is  like  the  drone's,  but  larger  in  diameter,  and 
thicker,  being  lined  with  a  little  more  silk. 

DISCREPANCY    IN    TIME    IN    REARING    BROOD     AS     GIVEN    BY 
HUBER. 

We  are  told  by  most  writers,  the  period  of  time 
necessary  to  perfect  from  the  egg,  the  three  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  bees.  Huber  leads  the  way,  and 
the  rest,  supposing  him  to  he  right^  repeat  in  sub- 
stance his  account  as  follows :  That  the  whole  time 
necessary  to  perfect  a  queen  from  the  egg  is  sixteen 
days,  the  worker  twenty,  and  the  drone  twenty-four 
days;  Huber  (as  quoted  by  Harpers)  gives  the 
time  of  each  stage  of  development  belonging  to  each 
kind  of  bee;  but  is  rather  unfortunate  in  arithmetic; 
the  items,  or  stages,  when  added  together,  "  do  not 
prove,"  as  the  school-boys  say;  that  is,  he  gains  time 
by  making  his  bee  by  degrees.  He  says,  first,  of  the 
worker,  "  It  remains  three  days  in  the  egg,  five  in  the 
grub  state,  it  is  thirty-six  hours  in  spinning  its  cocoon ; 
in  three  days  it  changes  to  a  nymph,  passes  six  in 
that  form,  and  then  comes  forth  a  perfect  bee."  How 
do  the  items  add  ? 

The  egg, 8  days. 

Grub, 5     " 

Spinning  cocoon,  .  .  .  1=  " 
Changing  to  a  nymph,  .  .  3  " 
In  that  form, 6     " 

18i  days. 
One  and  a  half  days  short.     We  will  next  see  how 


BREEDING.  71 

the  figures  with  the  royal  insect  match ;  recollect  six- 
teen days  are  all  she  has  allowed ;  then,  of  the  different 
stages,  "three  days  in  the  egg,  is  five  a  worm,  when 
the  bees  close  its  cell,  and  it  immediately  begins  its 
cocoon,  which  is  finished  in  twenty-four  hours.  Dur- 
ing eleven  days,  and  even  sixteen  hours  of  the  twelfth, 
it  remains  in  a  state  of  complete  repose.  Its  trans- 
formation into  a  nymph  then  takes  place,  in  which 
^tate  four  days  and  part  of  the  fifth  are  passed."  Now 
let  us  add  the  items : 

The  egg, 3    days. 

A  worm, 5       " 

Spinning  a  cocoon,  (24  hours),  ....  1  " 
Eeposes  eleven  days  and  16  hours,  .  .  llf  " 
A  nymph  four  days,  and  part  of  the  fifth,  4|     " 

25  days. 
Now,  reader,  what  do  you  make  of  such  palpable 
blundering  guess-work  ?  A  difierence  of  nine  days — 
the  merest  school-boy  ought  to  know  better!  Can  we 
rely  on  such  history  ?  Does  it  not  prove  the  necessity 
of  going  over  the  whole  ground,  applying  a  test  to 
every  assertion,  and  a  revision  of  the  whole  matter 
throughout?  My  object  is  not  to  find  fault,  but  to 
get  at  facts.  When  I  see  such  guess-work  as  the  above 
published  to  the  world,  in  this  enlightened  age, 
gravely  told  to  the  rising  generation,  as  a  portion  of 
natural  history,  I  feel  it  a  duty  not  to  resist  the  incli- 
nation to  expose  the  absurdity. 

THE  NUMBER  OF  EGGS  DEPOSITED  BY  THE  QUEEN  GUESSED  AT. 

The  number  of  eggs  that  a  queen  will  deposit  is  often 


72  BREEDING. 

guessed  at.  If  we  examine  a  thrifty  stock  in  the 
height  of  the  breeding  season,  we  shall  find  combs 
filled  with  brood,  amounting  frequently  to  three  quar- 
ters of  all  in  the  hive.  Now  by  observing  the  number 
of  cells  to  the  square  inch,  it  is  easy  to  get  the  num- 
ber to  the  square  foot ;  then  multiply  this  number 
again  by  the  number  of  combs  in  a  hive,  and  we  shall 
have  the  whole  number  of  cells.  For  instance,  a 
comb  one  inch  square  of  worker  cells,  contains  on 
both  sides  about  50;  at  this  rate,  one  twelve  inches 
square  contains  over  7,000.  Suppose  a  hive  contains 
eight  such  combs,  and  that  120  square  inches  of  each 
of  the  eight  combs  are  used  for  brood,  we  have  eight 
times  120  square  inches  of  brood ;  50  to  the  square 
inch  would  multiply  into  48,000  cells.  A  part  of 
these  cells,  say  one  or  two  combs  would  contain  cells 
for  drones ;  these  are  a  little  larger,  and  would  reduce 
the  number  some ;  also,  some  few  might  be  empty,  the 
young  bees  having  just  left  them,  and  a  few  might  be 
occupied  here  and  there  with  bee-bread  or  honey.  In 
all,  the  number  might  be  one  quarter  of  what  is  termed 
brood  comb.  Take  this  number  from  the  48,000,  and 
we  have  left  36,000  cells  actually  occupied  at  one  time 
with  brood,  including  eggs,  larvae,  and  chrysalis.  We 
must  remember  that  the  time,  from  the  egg  first  de- 
posited to  the  mature  bee,  is  not  over  25  days  at  most; 
we  perceive  that  all  now  in  the  cells  must  have  been 
put  there  by  the  queen  within  the  last  25  da3's!  This 
number  divides  into  about  1,500  for  each  day !  Here 
are  some  data  to  guess  from.  Eggs  arc  frequently  found 
in  new  hives  in  a  few  hours  after  being  hived,  but  they 


BREEDING.  73 

must  be  first  swarms  which  are  accompanied  by  the 
old  queens. 

Schirach  estimates  "the  eggs  a  single  female  will 
lay,  from  70,000  to  100,000  in  a  season."  Eeaumer 
and  Huber  do  not  estimate  so  high.  Another  writer 
estimates  90,000,  in  three  months.  Let  the  number 
be  as  it  may,  probably  thousands  are  never  perfected. 
During  the  spring  months,  in  medium  and  small  fam- 
ilies, where  the  bees  can  protect  with  animal  heat  but 
a  few  combs,  I  have  often  found  cells  containing  a 
plurality  of  eggs,  two,  three,  and  occasionally  four,  in 
a  single  cell.  These  supernumeraries  must  be  removed, 
and  frequently  may  be  found  amongst  the  dust  on  the 
bottom-board. 

A  TEST  FOR  THE  PRESENCE  OF  A  QUEEN. 

If  you  have  a  hive  that  you  suspect  has  lost  a 
queen  at  this  season,  her  presence  can  be  ascertain- 
ed nine  times  in  ten  by  this  method.  Sweep  off  the 
board  clean,  and  look  the  next  day  or  two  after 
for  these  eggs.  Take  care  that  ants,  or  mice,  have 
no  chance  to  get  them  ;  they  might  deceive  you,  being 
as  fond  of  eggs  for  breakfast  as  any  one.*  When  one 
or  more  is  found,  or  any  immature  bees,  it  is  suffi- 
cient, no  further  proof  of  the  presence  of  a  queen  is 
needed. 

Another  portion  of  eggs  is  wasted  whenever  a  sup- 
ply of  their  food  fails ;  if  we  remove  the  bees  from  a 
stock  during  a  scarcity,  when  the  hive  is  light,  we  will 
be  very  likely  to  find  hundreds  of  eggs  in  the  cells, 

•  It  is  said  that  the  bees  will  devour  these  eggs  also. 
4 


74.  BREEDING. 

and  but  verj  few  advancing  from  that  stage  towards 
maturity.  I  have  thus  found  it  in  the  fall,  in  July, 
and  sometimes  the  first  of  June,  or  at  any  time  when 
maturing  the  brood  would  be  likely  to  exhaust  their 
stores,  to  endanger  the  family's  supply.  Now,  instead 
of  the  fertility  of  the  queen  being  greater  in  spring 
and  first  of  summer  than  at  other  times,  (as  we  are 
often  told),  I  would  suggest  the  probability  that  a 
greater  abundance  of  food  at  this  season,  and  a  greater 
number  of  empty  cells,  may  be  the  reason  of  the  greater 
number  of  bees  matured. 

WHEN    DRONES    ARE    REARED. 

Whenever  the  hive  is  well  supplied  with  honey,  and 
plenty  of  bees,  a  portion  of  eggs  are  deposited  in  the 
drone-cells,  which  three  or  four  days  more  are  neces- 
sary to  mature  than  the  worker. 

WHEN  QUEENS  ARE  REARED. 

Also,  when  the  combs  become  crowded  with  bees, 
and  honey  plenty,  the  preparations  for  young  queens 
commence:  as  the  first  step  towards  swarming, 
from  one  to  twenty  royal  cells  are  begun ;  when 
about  half  completed,  the  queen  (if  all  continues  fa- 
vorable) will  deposit  eggs  in  them,  these  will  be  glued 
fast  by  one  end  like  those  for  the  workers  ;  there  is  no 
doubt  but  they  are  precisely  the  same  kind  of  eggs 
that  produce  other  bees.  When  hatched,  the  little 
worm  will  be  supplied  with  a  superabundance  of  food ; 
at  least,  it  appears  so  from  the  fact,  that  a  few  times 
I  have  found  a  quantity  remaining  in  the  cell  after  the 


BREEDING. 


75 


queen  had  left.  The  consistence  of  this  food  is  about 
like  cream,  the  color  some  lighter,  or  just  tinged  with 
yellow.  If  it  was  thin  like  water,  or  even  honey,  I 
cannot  imagine  how  it  could  be  made  to  stay  in  the 
upper  end  of  an  inverted  cell  of  that  size  in  such  quan- 


■'■^^p? 


PLATE   OF  THE   THREE  KINDS  OP  CELLS. 


titles  as  are  put  in,  as  the  bees  often  fill  it  near  half 
full.     Sometimes  a  cell  of  this  kind  will  contain  this 


76  BREEDING. 

food,  and  no  worm  to  feed  upon  it.  I  guessed  the  bees 
had  compounded  more  than  their  present  necessities 
required,  and  that  they  stored  it  there  to  have  it 
ready,  also,  that  being  there  all  might  know  it  was  for 
ro^^alty. 

The  taste  is  said  to  be  "  more  pungent"  than  food 
given  to  the  worker,  and  the  difference  in  food 
changes  the  bee  from  a  worker  to  a  queen.  I  have 
nothing  to  say  against  this  hypothesis ;  it  may  be  so, 
or  the  young  bee  being  obliged  to  stand  on  its  head 
may  effect  it,  or  both  causes  combined  may  effect  the 
change.  I  never  tasted  this  food,  or  found  any  test  to 
apply. 

The  preceding  plate  represents  a  piece  of  comb 
containing  all  the  different  cells — those  at  the 
left  hand  the  size  for  drones.  In  the  centre  are  a  few 
that  appear  sealed  over,  others  nearly  covered,  others 
the  larva  in  different  stages  of  growth,  as  well  as  the 
eggs.  Fig.  1  represents  a  queen's  cell  just  commenced. 
They  are  usually  started  thus  far  the  first  season,  very 
frequently  when  the  hive  is  only  half  or  two-thirds 
full.  Fig.  2  is  a  cell  sufficiently  advanced  to  receive 
the  egg.  Fig.  3  one  finished,  the  stage  when  the  first 
swarm  leaves.  Fig.  4  when  a  queen  has  been  perfected 
and  left.  Fig.  5  is  a  cell  where  its  occupant  has  been 
destroyed  by  a  rival,  and  removed  by  the  workers. 
It  will  be  perceived  that  each  finished  queen's  cell 
contains  as  much  wax  as  fifty  made  for  the  workers. 

LIABILITV    OF    BEING    DESTROYED. 

In  any  stage  from  the  egg  to  maturity  these  royal 
insects  are  liable  to  be  destroyed  ; — if  honey  fails  from 


BREEDING.  77 

any  cause  sufficient  to  make  the  existence  of  a  swarm 
any  way  hazardous,  the  preparations  are  abandoned, 
and  these  young  queens  destroyed ;  (I  would  here 
request  the  reader  not  to  condemn  me  for  telling  more 
than  I  can  prove,  until  he  has  had  the  whole  story  ;  in 
the  swarming  season,  I  will  give  further  particulars.) 

DROXES    DESTROYED    WHEX    HOXEY    IS    SCARCE. 

When  an  occurrence  like  the  above  happens,  the 
drones  next  fall  victims  to  the  failure  of  honey.  A 
brief  existence  only  is  theirs  ;  such  as  are  perfect,  are 
destroyed  without  mercy ;  those  in  the  chrysalis  state 
are  often  dragged  out,  and  sacrificed  to  the  necessities 
of  the  family.  Such  as  are  allowed  to  hatch,  instead 
of  being  fed  and  protected  as  they  would  be  if  honey 
was  abundant,  are  allowed,  while  yet  weak  from  the 
effects  of  hunger,  to  wander  from  the  hive,  and  fall  to 
the  earth  by  hundreds.  These  effects  attend  only  a 
scarcity  in  the  early  part  of  the  season.  The  massacre 
of  July  and  September  is  quite  different.  The  drones 
then  have  age  and  strength — an  effort  is  apparently 
first  made  by  the  workers  to  drive  them  out  without 
proceeding  to  extremes ;  they  are  harassed  sometimes 
for  several  days ;  the  workers  feigning  only  to  sting, 
or  else  they  cannot,  as  I  never  succeeded  in  seeing  but 
very  few  dispatched  in  that  way ;  yet  there  is  evi- 
dence proving  beyond  doubt  that  the  sting  is  used. 
Hundreds  will  often  be  collected  together  in  a  com- 
.pact  body  at  the  bottom  of  the  hive  ;  this  mutua. 
protection  affording  a  few  hours'  respite  from  their  tor- 
mentors, who  do  not  cease  to  worrv  them.     In  a  few 


78  BREEDING. 

days  they  are  gone,  and  it  is  a  hard  matter  to  tell  what 
has  become  of  them,  at  least  the  majority.  If  the 
hive  in  September  is  well  supplied  with  honey,  a  por- 
tion of  the  drones  have  a  longer  lease  of  life  given 
them ;  I  have  seen  them  as  late  as  December.  In 
some  seasons,  when  the  best  hives  are  poorly  supplied 
with  stores,  the  ensuing  spring  the  bees  will  rear  no 
drones,  until  the  flowers  yield  a  good  supply.  I  have 
known  one  or  two  years  in  which  no  drones  appeared 
before  the  last  of  June ;  at  other  times,  thousands  are 
matured  by  the  first  of  May. 

OLD    QUEEN    LEAVES    WITH    THE    FIRST    SWARM. 

The  old  queen  leaves  with  the  first  swarm  ;  as  soon 
as  cells  are  ready  in  the  new  hive  she  will  deposit  her 
eggs  in  them,  at  first  for  workers  ;  the  number  perfect- 
ed will  correspond  with  the  supply  of  honey  and  size 
of  the  swarm.  When  the  supply  fails  before  leaving 
the  old  stock,  she  remains  there^  and  continues  laying 
throughout  the  season ;  but  the  bees  matured  after 
the  20th  of  July  (in  this  section)  are  not  more  than 
sufficient  to  keej^  the  number  good.  As  many  die,  or 
are  lost  during  their  excursions,  as  the  young  ones 
will  replace  ;  in  fact,  they  often  lose  rather  than  gain ; 
so  that  by  the  next  spring,  a  hive  that  has  cast  no 
swarm,  is  no  better  for  a  stock  than  one  from  Avhich  a 
swarm  has  issued.  We  are  apt  to  be  deceived  by  bees 
clustering  outside,  towards  the  latter  end  of  the  sea- 
son, and  suppose  it  hardly  possible  for  them  all  to 
get  in,  when  it  may  be  caused  by  hot  weather,  fiill 
stores,  &c. 


BKEEDING.  79 

A    YOUNG    QUEEN    TAKES    THE    PLACE    OF    HER    MOTHER   IN   THE 
OLD    STOCK. 

In  ordinary  circumstances,  when  a  swarm  has  left 
a  stock,  the  oldest  of  the  young  queens  is  ready  to 
emerge  from  her  cell  in  about  eight  or  nine  days  ;  if 
no  second  swarm  is  sent  out,  she  will  take  her  moth- 
er's place,  and  begin  to  lay  eggs  in  about  ten  days,  or 
a  little  less.  Two  or  three  weeks  is  the  only  time 
throughout  the  whole  season,  but  what  eggs  can  be 
found  in  all  prosperous  hives.  Whenever  a  copious 
yield  of  honey  occurs,  drones  are  reared  ;  as  it  becomes 
scarce,  they  are  destroyed. 

The  relative  number  of  drones  and  workers  that 
exist  when  they  are  most  numerous,  doubtless  de- 
pends on  the  size  of  the  hive,  whether  one  in  ten,  or 
one  in  thirty. 

When  a  swarm  is  first  hived,  the  first  cells  are  the 
size  for  working ;  if  the  hive  be  very  small,  and  bees 
numerous,  it  may  be  filled  before  they  are  fully  aware 
of  it,  and  but  few  drone-cells  constructed ;  conse- 
quently, but  few  can  be  raised  ;  whereas  if  the  hive 
be  large,  long  before  it  is  full,  considerable  honey  will 
be  stored.  Cells  for  storing  honey  are  usually  the 
size  for  drones ;  these  will  be  made  as  soon  as  the 
requisite  number  for  workers  is  provided.  An  abun- 
dant yield  of  honey  during  the  process  of  filling  a 
large  hive,  would  therefore  cause  a  great  proportion 
of  these  cells  to  be  built — the  amount  of  drone-brood 
being  governed  by  the  same  cause,  is  a  strong  argu- 
ment against  large  hives,  as  affording  room  for  too 
many  of  these  cells,  where  an  unnecessary  number  ol 


6to  BREEDING. 

drones  will  be  reared,  causing  a  useless  expenditure 
of  honey,  &c. 

OTHER    THEORIES. 

Theories  differing  materially  from  the  foregoing, 
are  advanced  by  nearly  all  writers.  One  says,  "  In 
spring  the  queen  lays  about  2,000  eggs  of  males,  re. 
sumes  it  again  in  August,  but  during  the  rest  of  the 
intervals  she  exclusively  lays  worker  eggs.  The 
queen  must  be  at  least  eleven  months  old  before  she 
begins  to  lay  the  eggs  of  males."  Mr.  Townly  makes 
the  same  assertion.  Dr.  Be  van  says,  "the  great  lay- 
ing of  drone  eggs  usuall}'  commences  about  the  end 
of  April."  Another  author  repeats  about  the  same, 
and  appears  to  have  investigated  farther,  as  he  has 
found  out  that  the  eggs  for  the  two  kinds  of  bees  are 
germinated  separately,  and  the  queen  knows  when 
each  kind  is  ready,  as  well  as  the  workers,  &c.  Now, 
I  beg  leave  to  differ  a  little  from  these  authors.  Either 
there  exists  no  difference  in  the  eggs  germinated,  and 
any,  or  all  will  produce  drones  or  workers,  just  as 
they  happen  to  be  deposited  and  fed ;  or  else  the 
periods  of  laying  drone  eggs  are  much  more  frequent 
than  any  writer  witVi  which  I  am  acquainted  has  been 
willing  to  allow. 

SUBJECT    NOT    UNDERSTOOD. 

I  am  not  anxious  to  establish  a  ncAv  theory,  but  to 
get  at  facts.  If  we  pretend  to  understand  natural  his- 
tory, it  is  important  that  we  have  it  correct ;  and  if  we 
do  not  understand  it,  say  so,  and  leave  it  open  for 
further  investigation.     It  is  my  opinion  that  we  Icnow 


BREEDING.  81 

but  very  little  about  this  point.  I  wish  to  induce 
closer  observation,  and  would  recommend  no  ^positive 
decision,  until  all  the  facts  that  will  apply  have  been 
examined.  Whether  these  drone-egg  theories  have 
been  too  hastily  adopted,  the  reader  can  decide ;  I 
shall  offer  a  few  more  facts,  somewhat  difl&cult  to 
reconcile  with  them. 

First,  in  relation  to  the  queeen  being  "eleven 
months  old  "  before  laying  drone  eggs.  We  all  agree, 
I  believe,  that  the  old  queen  goes  with  the  first  swarm, 
and  a  young  one  remains  in  the  old  stock.  Now  sup- 
pose the  first  swarm  leaves  in  June,  and  the  old  stock 
yet  contains  a  numerous  family.  The  flowers  of 
buckwheat  in  August  yield  a  bountiful  harvest  of 
honey.  This  old  stock  rears  a  large  brood  of  drones. 
Is  it  not  proved  in  this  case  that  the  queen  was  but 
two  months  old,  instead  of  eleven  ?  We  further  agree 
that  3'oung  queens  accompany  second  or  after-swarms. 
When  these  happen  to  be  large  and  prosperous,  they 
never  fail  to  rear  a  brood  of  drones  at  this  season. 
What  is  the  age  of  these  ?  I  apprehend  that  this 
eleven  months  theory  originated  in  sections  where 
there  are  no  crops  of  buckwheat  raised,  or  in  small 
quantities.  Clover  generally  fails  in  August,  and 
May,  or  June,  of  another  year  comes  round,  before 
there  is  a  sufficient  yield  to  produce  the  brood.  With 
these  observations  only^  how  very  rational  to  conclude 
that  it  must  be  a  law  of  their  nature,  instead  of  being 
governed  by  the  yield  of  honey,  and  size  of  the 
family  ?  If  the  periods  of  drone  egg  laying  are 
limited  to  only  two  or  three,  it  would  seem  that  all 
4* 


82  BREEDING. 

queens  ought  to  be  ready  with  this  kind  of  egg, 
about  the  same  period  of  the  season,  but  how  are  the 
facts  ? 

I  would  like  to  inquii-e  what  becomes  of  the  first 
series  of  drone  eggs,  the  last  of  April,  or  the  first  of 
May,  when  the  stocks  are  poorly  supplied  with 
honey,  or  when  a  family  is  small  and  but  little  honey 
through  the  summer  ?  No  drone  brood  is  matured  in 
these  cases.  It  is  not  pretended  that  the  queen  has 
any  control  over  the  germination  of  these  eggs,  yet 
somehow  she  has  them  ready  whenever  the  situation 
of  the  hive  will  warrant  it.  Two  stocks  may  have  an 
equal  number  of  bees  the  first  of  May  ;  one  may  have 
forty  pounds  of  honej^,  the  other  four  pounds  ;  the  lat- 
ter cannot  afibrd  to  rear  a  drone,  while  the  other  will 
have  hundreds.  Let  two  stocks  have  but  four  pounds 
each  at  any  time  in  summer  when  honey  is  scarce, 
now  feed  one  of  them  plentifully,  and  a  brood  of 
drones  is  sure  to  appear,  while  the  other  will  not  pro- 
duce one.  Whenever  stocks  are  well  stored  with 
honey,  and  full  of  bees,  the  first  of  May  will  find 
drone-cells  containing  brood.  If  the  flowers  continue 
to  yield  a  full  supply,  these  cells  may  be  examined 
every  week  from  that  period  till  the  first  swarm 
leaves,  and  I  will  engage  that  drone  brood  may  be 
found  in  all  stages  from  the  egg  to  maturity  ;  and  the 
worker  brood  the  same.  In  twenty-four  days  after 
the  first  swarm  leaves,  the  last  drone  eggs  left  by  the 
old  queen  will  be  just  about  matured.  When  trans- 
ferring bees  from  old  to  new  hives,  I  generally  do  it 
about  twenty-one  or  twenty-two  days  after  the  first 


BREEDING.  83 

swarm,  (this  is  the  time  to  avoid  destroying  the 
worker-brood ;  the  particulars  will  be  given  in  another 
place.)  I  have  transferred  a  great  many,  and  never 
failed  to  find  a  few  drones  about  ready  to  leave  the 
combs.  Whether  the  swarm  had  left  the  last  of  May, 
or  middle  of  July,  there  was  no  difference,  they  were 
on  hand. 

A  very  early  swarm  in  good  seasons,  will  often  fill 
the  hive,  and  send  out  an  issue  in  from  four  to  six 
weeks  :  the  usual  amount  of  drone-brood  may  be 
found  in  these  cases.  The  following  circumstance 
would  appear  to  indicate  that  all  the  eggs  are  alike, 
and  if  they  are  laid  in  drone-cells,  the  bees  give  the 
proper  food  and  make  drones ;  if  in  worker-cells, 
workers,  just  as  they  make  a  queen  from  a  worker- 
egg,  when  put  in  a  royal  cell. 

In  a  glass  hive,  one  sheet  of  comb  next  the  glass, 
and  parallel  with  it,  was  full  size ;  about  three-quarters 
of  this  sheet  was  worker-cells,  the  remainder  drone- 
cells.  The  family  had  been  rather  small,  but  now 
had  increased  to  a  full  swarm  ;  a  few  drones  had  ma- 
tured in  the  middle  of  the  hive.  It  was  about  the 
middle  of  June,  1850,  when  I  discovered  the  bees  on 
this  outside  sheet,  preparing  it,  as  I  thought,  for 
brood,  by  cutting  off  the  cells  to  the  proper  length. 
They  had  been  used  for  storing  honey,  and  were  much 
too  long,  being  about  an  inch  and  a  half  deep.  In  a 
day  or  two  after  I  saw  a  few  eggs  in  both  worker  and 
drone-cells ;  four  or  five  days  afterwards,  on  opening 
the  door,  I  found  her  "majesty"  engaged  in  deposit- 
ing eggs  in  the  drone  cells.     Nearly  every  one  already 


84  BREEDING. 

contained  an  egg ;  most  of  these  she  examined,  but  did 
not  use  them ;  six  or  eight,  it  appeared,  were  all  that 
were  unoccupied;  in  each  of  these  she  immediately 
deposited  an  egg.  She  continued  to  search  for  more 
empty  cells,  and  in  doing  so,  she  got  on  the  part  of 
the  comb  containing  worker-cells,  where  she  found  a 
dozen  or  more  empty,  in  each  of  which,  she  laid  one. 
The  whole  time  perhaps  thirty  minutes.  Query  ? 
Was  her  series  of  drone  eggs  exhausted  just  at  this 
time  ?  If  so,  it  would  appear  that  she  was  not  aware 
of  it,  because  she  examined  several  drone-cells  after 
laying  the  last  one  there,  before  leaving  that  part 
of  the  comb,  and  acted  exactly  as  if  she  would  have 
used  them  had  they  not  been  pre-occupied.  Did  the 
worker-cells  receive  some  eggs  that  would  have  pro- 
duced drones,  but  for  the  circumstance  of  being  de- 
posited in  worker-cells?  I  know  we  are  told  that 
an  egg  may  be  transferred  from  a  worker-cell  to 
one  for  drones,  or  an  egg  taken  from  a  drone-cell  and 
deposited  in  a  worker-cell ;  that  the  exchange  will 
make  no  difference,  the  bee  will  be  just  what  the  first 
deposit  would  have  made  it.  How  the  knowledge  for 
this  assertion  was  obtained,  we  are  not  informed,  at 
least  of  the  practical  part.  That  an  egg  was  ever  de- 
tached from  the  bottom  of  one  cell  safely  and  success- 
fully deposited  in  another,  without  breaking  or  in- 
juring it  in  some  manner,  to  make  the  bees  refuse  it, 
permit  me  at  present  to  doubt. 

NECESSITY    FOR    FURTHER    OBSERVATION, 

Cannot  some  experiments,  practicable  to  all,  be  in- 


BREEDING.  85 

stituted  that  will  throw  more  light  on  this  subject  ? 
The  old  hypothesis  of  limiting  drone-egg  laying  to 
two  or  three  periods,  is  evidently  at  fault. 

TWO    SIDES    OF    THE    QUESTION. 

If  we  suppose  that  the  eggs  are  all  alike,  and  the 
subsequent  treatment  makes  either  workers,  drones,  or 
queens,  and  look  to  analogy  for  support,  we  shall 
find  much  against,  as  well  as  for  it.  For  instance,  we 
find  in  almost  every  department  of  animated  nature, 
that  the  sex  of  the  germ  of  a  future  being  is  decided 
before  being  separated  from  the  parent,  as  the  eggs 
of  fowls,  &c.  Another  fact,  some  queens  (averaging 
one  in  sixty  or  eighty)  deposit  eggs  that  produce 
only  drones,*  whether  in  worker  or  drone-cells,  prov- 
ing that  sex  is  decided  in  this  case  beyond  controversy. 

*  I  have  had  several  such.  It  made  no  difference  whether  the  egga 
were  in  the  worker-cells  or  drone-cells,  the  brood  was  all  drones.  When 
in  the  worker-cells,  (and  the  majority  was  there,)  they  required  to  be 
lengthened  about  one-third.  In  an  occurrence  of  this  kind,  the  col- 
ony of  workers  will  rapidly  diminish  in  number,  until  too  few  are 
left  to  protect  the  combs  fi-om  the  moth.  It  occurs  most  frequently  in 
spring,  but  I  once  had  a  case  the  last  of  summer.  The  first  indications 
are  an  unusual  number  of  caps,  or  covers  of  cells,  being  under  and 
about  the  hive  ;  the  workers,  instead  of  increasing,  grow  less  in  num- 
ber. When  you  fear  this  state  of  things,  make  a  thorough  examina- 
tion, blow  under  the  hive  some  tobacco  smoke,  as  directed  in  pruning, 
invert  the  hive,  part  the  combs  till  you  can  see  the  brood  ;  if  the  worker- 
cells  contain  drones,  they  are  readily  perceived,  as  they  project  beyond 
the  usual  even  surface,  being  very  irregular,  here  and  there  a  few,  or 
perhaps  but  one  sticking  out.  The  worker-brood,  when  in  their  own 
cells,  form  nearly  an  even  surface  ;  so  of  the  drones.  The  only  remedy 
that  I  have  found  is  to  destroy  this  queen,  and  substitute  another,  which 
can  be  obtained  in  the  swarming  season,  or  in  the  fall,  better  than  at 
other  times.  To  find  the  queen,  paralyze  with  puflf-ball,  &c.  For  direc- 
tions see  fall  management. 


6:fi  BREEDING. 

Hence  it  would  appear  reasonable,  if  sex  was  decided 
by  the  ovaries  of  the  queen,  in  one  case,  it  would  be 
in  another. 

To  allow  the  bees  the  power  of  making  three  kinds  of 
bees  from  one  kind  of  eggs,  which  would  be  virtually 
constituting  a  third  sex,  an  anomaly  not  often  found. 
The  drones  being  males,  and  workers  imperfect  fe- 
males with  generative  organs  undeveloped,  renders 
the  anomaly  of  the  third  sex  unnecessary.  On  the 
other  side  it  might  be  said  in  reply :  That  if  food  and 
treatment  would  create  or  produce  organs  of  genera- 
tion in  the  female,  by  making  an  egg  destined  for  a 
worker  into  a  queen,  (a  fact  which  all  apiarians  admit,) 
why  not  food  and  treatment  make  the  drone  ?  Is 
the  difficulty  of  developing  one  kind  of  sexual  organs 
greater  than  another? 

Kespecting  the  anomaly  of  the  eggs  of  some  queens 
producing  only  drones,  the  question  might  be  asked, 
Is  this  more  of  an  anomaly  than  that  of  ordinary 
queens  which  are  said  to  germinate  eggs  in  distinct 
series  ?  It  is  all  out  of  the  usual  line.  Other  animals 
or  insects  usually  produce  the  sexes  promiscuously. 
As  we  are  ignorant  of  causes  deciding  sex  in  any  case, 
we  must  acknowledge  mystery  to  belong  to  both  sides 
of  the  question  here.  The  stumbling-block  of  more 
than  two  sexes,  which  seems  so  necessary  to  make 
plain,  is  no  greater  kere  than  with  some  species  of 
ants,  that  have,  as  we  are  told,  kin^,  queen,  soldier 
and  laborer.  Four  distinct  and  differently  formed 
bodies,  all  belonging  to  one  nest,  and  descended  from 
one  mother.     Whether  there  are  four  distinct  kinds  of 


BREEDING.  87 

eggs  producing  them,  or  the  power  is  given  to  the 
workers  to  develop  such  as  are  wanted,  from  one 
kind,  we  cannot  say.  If  w^e  make  two  kinds  of  eggs, 
it  helps  the  matter  but  very  little.  There  is  still  an 
anomaly.  There  is  but  one  perfect  female  in  a  nest 
to  germinate  eggs,  and  the  myriads  produced  (being 
over  80,000  in  twenty-four  hours,  according  to  some 
historians)  shows  that  the  fecundity  of  our  queen-bee 
is  not  a  parallel  case  by  any  means.  And  yet  they 
are  similar,  by  having  their  offspring  provided  for 
without  an  effort  of  their  own. 

I  shall  leave  this  matter  for  the  present,  hoping  that 
something  conclusive  may  occur  in  the  course  of  my  ex- 
periments, or  those  of  others.  At  present  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  the  eggs  are  all  alike,  but  am  not 
fully  satisfied. 

I  am  aware  that  this  matter  is  of  but  little  value  or 
interest  to  many,  but  myself  and  a  few  others  have 
"  Yankee  inquisitiveness  "  prettj-  well  developed,  and 
would  like  to  know  how  it  icas  managed. 

As  for  workers  proving  occasionally  fertile,  I  have 
but  little  to  say.  After  j-ears  of  close  observation  di- 
rected to  this  point,  I  have  been  unable  to  discover 
anything  to  establish  this  opinion.  Neither  have  I 
found  the  black  bees  described  by  some  authors.  It 
is  true  that  in  the  middle  or  latter  part  of  summer  a 
portion  will  be  much  darker  than  others,  and  perhaps 
rather  smaller,  and  some  of  them  with  their  wings 
somewhat  worn,  probably  the  result  of  continued  labor, 
pecuhar  food,  or  some  incidental  circumstance. 

I  have  a  few  times  found  a  humble-bee  under  the 


88  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

hive,  that  had  entered,  and  not  finding  his  way  out 
readih',  was  speedily  shorn  of  his  beautiful  "locks," 
and  consequently  his  strength — that  is,  every  par- 
ticle of  hair,  down,  feathers,  bristles,  or  whatever  he 
had  been  covered  with,  was  completely  removed  by 
the  bees,  who  had  no  regard  for  his  beautiful  alter- 
nating stripes  of  yellow  and  brown ;  which  left  him 
the  very  picture  of  darkness. 


CHAPTER  lY. 

BEE   PASTURAGE. 

In  some  seasons  the  earth  is  covered  with  snow 
much  later  than  others.  When  this  occurs,  a  greater 
number  of  warm  days  are  necessary  to  melt  it,  and 
start  the  flowers,  than  otherwise. 

SUBSTITUTE  FOR  POLLEN. 

During  these  warm  days,  while  waiting  for  the 
flowers,  the  bees  are  anxious  to  do  something.  It  is 
then  interesting  to  watch  them,  and  see  what  will  be 
used  as  substitutes  for  pollen  and  honey.  At  such 
times,  I  have  seen  hundreds  engaged  on  a  heap  of 
sawdust,  gathering  the  minute  particles  into  little  pel- 
lets on  their  legs,  seeming  quite  pleased  with  the  ac- 
quisition. Rotten  wood,  when  crumbled  into  powder, 
and  dry,  is  also  collected.  Flour,  when  scattered  near 
the  hive,  I  have  known  to  be  taken  up  in  considerable 
quantities.  Some  apiarians  have  fed  it  to  their  bees 
at  this  season,  and  consider  it  a  great  advantage  ;  I 


BEE    PASTURAGE.  89 

have  not  tested  it  sufficient  to  give  an  opinion.  A 
substitute  for  honey  is  sap  from  a  few  kinds  of  trees, 
yet  it  all  amounts  to  but  very  little.  All  these  unnatu- 
ral sources  are  abandoned  when  the  flowers  appear. 

MANNER  OF  PACKING  IT. 

The  particular  manner  of  obtaining  pollen  has  been 
witnessed  by  but  very  few  persons,  as  it  is  generally 
brushed  from  their  bodies  and  packed  on  their  legs, 
while  on  the  wing,  thereby  preventing  a  fair  chance 
to  inspect  operations.  When  collecting  only  pollen 
they  alight  on  the  flowers,  passing  rapidly  over  the 
stamens,  detaching  a  portion  of  the  dust,  which  lodges 
on  most  parts  of  them,  to  be  brushed  together  and 
packed  into  pellets  when  again  on  the  wing.  Thus 
they  keep  alternately  flying  and  alighting  until  a  load 
is  obtained,  when  they  immediately  return  to  the  hive  ; 
each  bee  bringing  several  loads  in  a  day.  Honey,  as 
it  is  collected,  is  deposited  in  the  abdomen,  and  kept 
out  of  sight  till  stored  in  the  hive. 

ALDER    YIELDS    THE    FIRST. 

The  first  material  gathered  from  flowers  is  pollen. 
Candle-alder  {Ahius  Rubra)*  yields  the  first  supply. 
The  time  of  flowering  varies  from  the  10th  of  March 
to  the  20th  of  April.  The  amount  afforded  is  also  va- 
riable. Cold,  freezing  weather  frequentl}"  destroys  a 
great  portion  of  these  flowers  after  they  are  out.  These 
staminate  flowers  are  nearly  perfected  the  season  pre- 
vious, and  a  few  warm  days  in  spring  will  bring  them 

*  The  botanical  names  are  from  Wood's  Class-Book. 


90  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

out,  even  before  any  leaves  appear.  When  the  weather 
continues  fine,  great  quantities  of  farina  are  secured. 

The  time  that  bees  commence  their  labors  does  not 
govern  the  time  of  swarming  by  any  means ;  this 
matter  depends  on  the  weather  through  April  and 
May.  These  remarks  apply  particularly  to  this  sec- 
tion, Greene  County,  New  York,  in  latitude  about  42 
degrees.  In  other  places  many  different  trees,  shrubs, 
and  herbs,  may  be  found  yielding  honey  and  pollen 
that  scarcely  exist  here,  producing  far  different  results. 

Our  swamps  produce  several  varieties  of  willow, 
(salix,)  that  put  out  their  blossoms  very  irregularly. 
Some  of  these  bushes  are  a  month  earlier  than 
others,  and  some  of  the  buds  on  the  same  bush  are  a 
week  or  two  later  than  the  rest.  These  also  afford 
only  pollen,  but  are  much  more  dependence  than  alder, 
as  a  turn  of  cold  weather  cannot  at  any  time  destroy 
more  than  a  small  part.  Next  comes  the  aspen,  {Popu- 
lus  Tremuloides) ;  of  this  we  have  more  than  is  neces- 
sary for  any  purpose ;  it  is  not  a  particular  favorite 
with  the  bees,  as  but  few,  comparatively,  visit  it.  It 
is  followed  very  soon  by  an  abundance  of  the  red  ma- 
ple {Ace7'  Ruhrum),  that  suits  them  better,  but  this, 
like  the  others,  is  often  lost  by  freezing.  The  first 
honey  obtained  of  any  account  is  from  the  golden 
willow  {Salix  VitelUna)  ;  it  yields  no  pollen,  and  is  sel- 
dom injured  by  frost.  Gooseberries,  currants,  cherries, 
pear  and  peach  trees,  add  a  share  of  both  honey  and 
pollen.  Sugar  maple  {Acer  Saccharinum)  now  throws 
out  its  ten  thousand  silken  tassels,  beautiful  as  gold. 
Strawberries  modestly  open  their  petals  in  invitation, 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  91 

but,  like  "  obscure  virtues,"  are  often  neglected  for  tlie 
more  conspicuous  Dandelion,  and  the  showy  appear- 
ance  and  fragrant  blossoms  of  the  apple-trees,  which 
now  open  their  stores,  offering  to  their  acceptance  a 
real  harvest. 

FRUIT  FLOWERS  IMPORTANT  IN  GOOD  WEATHER. 

In  good  weather,  sometimes  a  gain  of  twenty  lbs. 
is  added  to  their  stores,  during  this  period  of  apple- 
tree  blossoms.  But  we  are  seldom  fortunate  enough 
to  have  good  weather  all  through  this  period,  it  being 
rainy,  cloudy,  cool,  or  windy,  which  is  very  detrimen- 
tal. Sometimes  a  frost  at  this  time  destroys  all,  and 
the  gain  of  our  bees  is  reversed,  that  is,  they  are 
lighter  at  the  end  than  at  the  beginning  of  these 
flowers.  Yet  this  is  the  season  that  decides  their  pros- 
perity for  the  summer,  whether  they  do  first  rate  or 
otherwise.  If  good  weather  now,  we  expect  our  first 
swarms  about  the  first  of  June ;  if  not,  no  subsequent 
yield  of  honey  will  make  up  for  this  deficiency.  We 
now  have  a  time  of  several  days,  from  ten  to  fourteen, 
in  which  but  few  flowers  exist.  If  our  hives  are  poorly 
supplied  when  this  scarcity  occurs,  it  will  so  disarrange 
their  plans  for  swarming,  that  no  preparations  are 
again  made  much  before  July,  and  sometimes  not  at 
all.  In  sections  where  the  wdld  cherry  {Cerasus  Sera- 
tina)  abounds,  the  flowers  of  this  will  appear  and 
fill  this  time  of  scarcity,  which  this  section  annually 
presents. 

RED  RASPBERRY  A  FAVORITE. 

The  red  raspberry  {Mubus  Strtgosus)   next  presents 


92  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

the  stamens  as  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  the  flower, 
soliciting  the  embrace  of  the  bee,  by  pouring  out  boun- 
teous libations  more  prized  by  our  industrious  insect 
than  wine.  For  several  -weeks  they  are  allowed  to 
partake  of  this  exquisite  beverage ;  it  is  secreted  at  all 
hours  and  in  all  kinds  of  weather.  When  the  morning 
is  warm  we  often  hear  their  cheerful  humming  among 
the  leaves  and  flowers  of  this  shrub,  ere  the  sun  ap- 
pears above  the  horizon.  The  gentle  shower,  sufficient 
to  induce  man  to  seek  a  shelter,  is  often  unheeded  by 
the  bee  when  luxuriating  among  these-  flowers  ;  even 
white  clover,  important  as  it  is  in  furnishing  the  great- 
est part  of  their  stores,  at  this  season,  would  be  neglect- 
ed if  there  was  only  a  full  supply  of  this.  Clover  be- 
gins to  blossom  with  the  raspberry,  and  continues  lon- 
ger. We  have  an  insufficient  supply  (in  this  section) 
in  most  seasons.  Red  clover  probably  secretes  as 
much  honey  as  the  white,  but  the  tube  of  the  corolla 
being  longer,  the  bee  appears  to  be  unable  to  reach  it. 
Yet  I  have  seen  a  few  at  work  even  here,  but  it  ap- 
peared like  slow  business. '  Sorrel,  {Rumex  Acetosella,) 
the  pest  of  many  farmers,  is  brought  under  contribu- 
tion, and  furnishes  the  precious  dust  in  any  quantity. 
Morning  is  the  only  part  of  the  day  appropriated  to 
its  collection. 

CATNIP,    MOTHER-WORT,    AND    HOARIIOUND    ARE    SOUGHT    AFTER. 

Catnip,  {Nepeta  Cataria,)  Mother-wort,  {Leonurus 
Cardiaca,)  and  Hoarhound,  {Marrubium  Vulgare,)  about 
the  middle  of  June,  put  forth  their  flowers,  rich  in 
sweetness,  and  like  the  Raspberry,  the  bees  visit  them 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  98 

at  all  hours  and  in  nearly  all  kinds  of  weather.  They 
last  from  four  to  six  weeks ;  the  catnip  I  have  known 
to  last  twelve  in  a  few  instances,  yielding  honey 
during  the  whole  time.  Ox-eye  daisy,  {Leucanthemum 
Viilgare,)  that  beautiful  and  splendid  flower,  in  pasture 
and  meadow,  and  worth  but  little  in  either,  also  con- 
tains some  honey.  The  flower  is  compound,  and  each 
little  floret  contains  particles  so  minute,  that  the  task 
of  obtaining  a  load  is  very  tedious.  It  is  only  visited 
•when  the  more  copious  honey-yielding  flowers  are 
scarce.  Snap-dragon,  {Linaria  Vulgaris,)  with  its 
nauseous  and  sickening  odor,  troubling  the  farmer 
with  its  vile  presence,  is  made  to  bestow  the  only  good 
thing  about  it,  except  its  beauty,  upon  our  insect. 
The  flower  is  large  and  tubular,  and  the  bee  to  reach 
the  honey  must  enter  it ;  to  see  the  bee  almost  disap- 
pear within  the  folds  of  the  corolla,  one  would  think 
that  it  was  about  being  swallowed,  when  the  hideous 
mouth  was  gaping  to  receive  it ;  but  unharmed,  soon 
it  emerges  from  the  yellow  prison,  covered  with  dust ; 
this  is  not  brushed  into  pellets  on  its  legs,  like  the 
pollen  from  some  other  flowers,  but  a  part  adheres  to 
its  back  between  the  wings,  which  it  is  apparently 
unable  to  remove,  as  it  remains  there  sometimes  for 
months,  making  a  cluster  outside  the  hive,  appear 
quite  speckled.  Bush  honey-suckle  {Diervilla  Tri- 
fida)  is  another  particular  favorite. 

SIXGUIAR    FATALITY    ATTEXDAXT    OX    SIXKWEED. 

Silk  weed  {Asclepias  Coi-nuti)  is  also  another  honey- 
yielding  perennial,  but  a  singular  fatality  attends  many 


94  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

bees  while  gathering  it,  that  I  never  yet  saw  noticed. 
I  had  observed  during  the  period  this  plant  was  in 
bloom,  that  a  number  of  the  bees  belonging  to  swarms, 
before  the  hive  was  full,  were  unable  to  ascend  the 
sides  to  the  comb ;  there  would  be  sometimes  thirty 
or  more  at  the  bottom  in  the  morning.  On  searching 
for  the  cause,  I  found  from  one  to  ten  thin  yellow 
scales,  attached  to  their  feet,  triangular,  or  somewhat 
wedge  shape,  in  size  about  the  twentieth  part  of  an 
inch.  On  the  longest  point  or  angle,  was  a  black  thread- 
like point,  from  a  sixteenth  to  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in 
length ;  on  this  stem  was  either  hooks,  barbs,  or  a 
glutinous  matter,  that  firmly  adhered  to  each  foot  or 
claw  of  the  bee,  rendering  it  useless  as  far  as  climbing 
the  sides  of  the  hive  was  concerned.  I  found  also 
among  bees  clustered  outside  of  full  hives,  this  orna- 
ment attached,  but  to  them  it  appeared  no  inconveni- 
ence. Among  the  scales  of  wax  and  waste  matter 
that  accumulates  about  the  swarms  to  the  amount  of 
a  handful,  I  found  a  great  many  of  these  scales, 
which  the  bees  had  worked  from  their  feet.  The 
question  then  arose,  were  these  scales  a  foreign  sub- 
stance, accidentally  entangled  in  their  claws,  or  was  it 
something  formed  there  by  nature,  or  rather  an  un- 
natural appendage  ?  It  was  soon  decided.  From  the 
number  of  bees  carrying  it,  I  was  satisfied  that  if  it 
was  the  product  of  any  flower,  it  belonged  to  a 
species  somewhat  abundant.  I  set  about  a  close 
examination  of  all  such  as  were  then  in  bloom. 
I  found  the  flowers  of  the  Silk  weed,  (or  Milkweed, 
as  some  call  it,)  sometimes  holding  a  dead  bee  by  the 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  95 

foot,  secured  by  this  appendage.  Both  sepals  and 
petals  of  this  flower  are  re-curved,  that  is,  turned  back- 
ward towards  the  stem,  fbrmiag  five  acute  angles,  or 
notches,  just  the  thing  for  a  trap  for  a  bee  with 
strings  of  heads  on  its  toes ;  when  at  work  they  are 
very  liable  to  slip  a  foot  into  one  of  these  notches  ;  the 
flower  being  thick  and  firm,  holds  it  fast ;  pulling  only 
draws  it  deeper  into  the  wedge-like  cavity.  The  bee 
must  either  perish  or  break  loose;  "their  instincts  fail 
them  in  this  emergency ;  they  know  nothing  about 
getting  it  out  by  a  gentle  pull  the  other  way.  I 
never  saw  one  do  it  except  by  accident.  By  examin- 
ing the  buds  of  this  plant  just  before  opening,  I  found 
this  fatal  appendage,  by  which  great  numbers  of  our 
bees  are  lost.*  When  I  point  out  a  loss  among  our 
bees,  I  would  like  to  give  a  remedy;  but  here  I  am  at 
a  loss,  unless  all  these  plants  are  destroyed,  and  this  is 
impracticable  in  many  places.  After  all  I  am  not  sure 
but  honey  enough  is  obtained  by  such  bees  as  do  es- 
cape, to  counterbalance  what  we  lose.  This  would  de- 
pend on  the  amount  of  honey  yielded  by  other  flowers 
«t  the  same  time. 

Whitewood  {Liriodendron  Tulipifera)  3'ields  some- 
thing eagerly  sought  for  by  the  bees,  but  whether  hon- 
ey, or  pollen,  or  both,  I  have  never  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain.    All  the  flowers  of  this  kind,  with  us,  are  too 

*  In  Wood's  Class-book  of  Botany,  "  Order  CIL,"  in  a  plate  showing 
the  parts  of  this  plant,  it  is  thus  described  :  "Fig.  11,  a  pair  of  pollen 
ffiaeses  suspended  from  the  glands  at  an  angle  of  the  antheridium,'' &c. 

One,  when  reading  this  simple  botanical  description,  and  seeing  the 
j»late,  or  the  Botanist  with  his  glasses,  when  he  minutely  inspects  the 
parts,  would  not  suspect  anything  fatal  to  bees  about  it. 


96  BEE   PASTUEAGE. 

high.  It  is  very  scarce,  as  well  as  Basswood,  {Tilia 
Americana,) — thai  in  some  places  is  abundant,  and 
yields  honey  clear  and  transparent  as  water,  superior  in 
appearance,  but  inferior  in  flavor  to  clover ;  it  also  ap- 
pears much  thinner  when  first  collected. 

LARGE  YIELD  FROM  BASSWOOD. 

During  the  time  this  tree  is  in  bloom,  a  period  of 
two  or  three  weeks  in  many  sections,  astonishing  quan- 
tities are  obtained.  A  person  once  assured  me  that  he 
had  known  "  ten  pounds  collected  by  one  swarm  in  a 
day,  by  weighing  the  hive  in  the  morning  and  again  at 
evening."  I  have  some  doubt  of  the  statement,  and 
think  half  the  amount  would  be  a  good  day's  work ; 
but  I  had  but  a  small  chance  to  know,  as  only  a  few 
trees,  as  a  specimen,  grow  in  this  section.  I  have 
weighed  hives  during  seasons  of  apple-tree  blossoms  and 
buckwheat,  the  two*  best  yields  of  honey  we  have,  and 
three  and  a  half  pounds  was  the  best  for  one  day  that 
I  ever  had.  Sumach,  {Rhus  Glabra,)  in  some  sections, 
affords  considerable  honey.  Mustard  {Sinapis  Nigra) 
is  also  a  great  favorite. 

I  have  now  mentioned  most  of  the  honey-producing 
trees  and  plants  that  come  on  before  the  middle  of 
July.  The  course  of  these  flowers  is  termed  the  first 
yield.  In  sections  where  there  are  no  crops  of  buck- 
wheat, it  constitutes  the  only  full  one.  Other  flowers 
continue  to  bloom  till  cold  weather.  Where  white  clo- 
ver is  abundant  and  the  fields  are  used  for  pasture,  it 
will  continue  to  throw  out  fresh  flowers,  sometimes, 
throughout  the  summer ;  yet  the  bees  consume  about 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  97 

all  thej  collect  in  rearing  their  brood,  &c.  Thus  it  ap- 
pears in  some  sections  six  or  eight  weeks  is  about  all 
the  time  they  have  to  provide  for  winter. 

GARDEN  FLOWERS    UXIMPORTAXT. 

In  passing  along  I  have  not  mentioned  garden  flow- 
ers, because  the  amount  obtained  here  is  a  small  item, 
compared  to  the  forest  and  fields — especially  ornamen- 
tal flowers.  It  is  true  that  the  Hollyhock,  {Altha  Bo- 
sea,)  Mallows,  {Malva  Rotundifolia,)  and  many  others 
yield  honey,  but  what  does  it  amount  to  ?  A  person 
expecting  his  hives  to  be  filled  from  such  a  source 
would  very  likely  be  disappointed,  especially  when 
many  are  kept  together. 

HONEY-DEW. 

Honey-dew  is  said  to  be  a  source  from  whence  large 
collections  are  made  in  some  places.  When  or  where 
it  appears  or  disappears  is  more  than  I  can  tell.  I 
have  seen  the  accounts  of  it,  but  accounts  I  have  learn- 
ed to  doubt  until  I  find  something  corroborative  in  my 
own  experience.  I  find  too  many  errors  copied 
merely  because  they  happen  to  be  in  company  with 
several  truths.  Huber  discovered  many  important 
truths,  and  has  given  them  to  the  world ;  too  many 
writers  take  it  for  granted  when  two  points  of  hi3  are 
true,  the  third  imist  he  also.  It  is  no  proof  that  there 
is  no  such  article  merely  because  I  never  discovered 
it.  In  the  many  fruitless  endeavors  that  I  have  made 
to  get  a  view  of  this  substance,  it  may  be  I  have  lack- 
ed close  observation  ;  or  possibly  there  is  none  show- 
o 


98  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

ered  upon  this  region  ;  or  I  may  have  failed  to  bring 

my  imagination  to  assist  me  to  convert  common  dew 
into  the  real  article. 

SINGULAR  SECRETION. 

I  once  discovered  bees  collecting  a  secretion  uncon- 
nected with  flowers ;  but  was  not  honey-dew,  as  it  has 
been  described.  I  was  passing  a  bush  of  Witch-hazel, 
{Hamamelis  Virginiana^)  and  was  arrested  by  an  un- 
usual humming  of  bees.  At  first  I  supposed  that  a 
swarm  was  about  me,  yet  it  was  late  in  the  season,  (it 
being  about  the  25th  July.)  On  close  inspection,  I 
found  the  bush  contained  numerous  warty  excrescen- 
ces, the  size  and  shape  of  a  hickory- nut.  These  prov- 
ed to  be  only  a  shell — the  inside  lined  with  thousands 
of  minute  insects,  a  species  of  aphis.  These  appeared 
to  be  engaged  sucking  the  juices,  and  dischargicg  a 
clear,  transparent  fluid.  Near  the  stem  was  an  orifice 
about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  out  of  which 
this  liquid  would  gradually  exude.  So  eager  were 
the  bees  for  this  secretion,  that  several  would  crowd 
around  one  orifice  at  a  time,  each  endeavoring  to 
thrust  the  other  away.  This  occurred  several  years 
ago,  and  I  never  have  been  able  to  find  anything  like 
it  since ;  neither  have  I  learned  whether  it  is  common 
in  other  sections. 

SECRETIONS    OF    THE  APHIS. 

The  liquid  ejected  by  the  aphis,  (plant  louse,)  when 
feeding  or  sucking  the  juices  of  tender  leaves,  and  re- 
ceived by  the  ants  that  are  always  in   attendance,  is 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  99 

sometlimg  like  it ;  but  in  this  case  the  bees  were  in 
attendance  instead  of  ants. 

This  mode  of  elaborating  honey,  although  not  gen- 
erally collected  by  bees,  perhaps  may  not  be  too  much 
out  of  place  here.  Also,  it  may  furnish  a  clue  to  the 
cause  or  substantiate  some  theory  of  honey-dew. 

These  insects  {Aphis)  have  been  very  appropriately 
termed  "ants'  cows,"  as  they  are  regarded  by  them 
with  the  most  tender  care  and  solicitude.  In  July  or 
August,  when  the  majorit}-  of  the  leaves  of  our  apple 
trees  are  matured,  there  is  often  a  few  sprouts  or 
suckers  about  the  bottom  or  trunk,  that  continue 
growing  and  putting  out  fresh  leaves.  On  the  under 
side  of  these,  you  will  find  the  aphis  by  hundreds,  of 
all  sizes,  from  those  just  hatched  to  the  perfect  insect 
with  wings.  All  appear  to  be  engaged  in  sucking  the 
bitter  juice  from  the  tender  leaf  and  stalk.  The  ants 
are  among  them  by  scores.  (They  are  often  accused 
by  the  careless  observer  of  the  injury,  instead  of  the 
aphis.)  Occasionally  there  will  issue  from  their  ab- 
domen a  small,  transparent  globule,  which  the  ant  is 
ever  ready  to  receive.  "When  a  load  is  obtained  it 
descends  to  the  nest ;  others  may  be  seen  going  and 
returning  continually.  Many  other  kinds  of  trees, 
shrubs  and  plants  are  used  by  the  ants  as  "  cow  pas- 
ture," and  most  kinds  of  ants  are  engaged  in  this  dairy 
business.*  Would  the  bees  attend  on  the  aphis  for 
this  secretion,  (for  it  appears  to  be  honey,)  if  the  ant 
was  not  there  first  ?    Or  if  there  were  no  ants  or  bees, 

*  The  history  of  insects,  as  published  by  Harpers,  gives  more  par- 
ticulars on  this  interesting  subject. 


100  BEE  PASTURAGE. 

would  tTiis  secretion  be  discharged,  and  falling  on  the 
leaves  below  them,  be  honey-dew?  If  they  were 
situated  on  some  lofty  trees,  and  it  lodged  on  the 
leaves  of  small  bushes  near  the  earth,  it  would,  with 
some  authors. 

These  questions  I  shall  not  answer  at  present.  As 
for  theory,  I  shall  probably  have  enough  before  I  get 
through,  where  I  hope  the  subject  may  be  more  in- 
teresting.* 

We  will  now  return  to  the  flowers,  and  see  what 
few  there  are  yet  to  appear,  after  the  middle  of  July. 
The  button-ball  bush  {Cephalanthus  Occidentalis)  is 
now  much  frequented  for  honey.  Also,  our  vines, 
melons,  cucumbers,  squashes,  and  pumpkins.  The 
latter  are  visited  only  in  the  morning,  and  honey  is  the 
only  thing  obtained ;  notwithstanding  the  bee  is  cov- 
ered with  farina,  it  is  not  kneaded  into  pellets  on  its 
legs.  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  bees  never  get  honey 
early  in  the  morning,  but  pollen  instead.     Now  it  is 

*  Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  I  have  made  some  further  observ- 
ations on  this  subject.  In  August,  1852, 1  noticed,  on  passing  under 
some  willow  trees,  (Salix  Vitellina,)  that  leaves,  grass,  and  stones, 
were  covered  with  a  wet  or  shining  substance.  On  looking  among  the 
branches,  I  found  nearly  all  the  smallest  were  covered  with  a  species 
of  large  black  aphis,  apparently  engaged  in  sucking  the  juices,  and 
occasionally  discharging  a  minute  drop  of  a  transparent  liquid.  I 
guessed  this  might  be  the  honey-dew.  As  this  was  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, I  resolved  to  visit  this  place  again,  as  soon  as  the  sun  got  up  far 
enough  to  start  out  the  bees,  and  see  if  they  collected  any  of  it.  On 
my  return  I  found  not  only  bees  in  hundi'ods,  but  ants,  hornets,  and 
wasps.  Some  were  on  the  branches  with  the  aphis,  others  on  the 
leaves  and  larger  branches.  Some  of  them  were  even  on  the  stones 
and  grass  under  the  trees,  collecting  it. 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  101 

not  best  always  to  take  our  word,  who  pretend  to  know 
all  about  it,  but  look  for  yourselves  into  some  of  these 
matters.  Take  a  look  some  warm  morning,  when  the 
pumpkins  are  in  bloom,  and  see  whether  it  is  honey  or 
pollen  they  are  in  quest  of.  Also  please  make  an 
observation  when  they  are  at  work  on  the  red  rasp- 
berry, motherwort,  or  catnip ;  you  will  thus  ascertain 
a  fact  so  easily,  that  you  will  wonder  any  one  with 
the  least  pretension  to  apiarian  science  could  be  igno- 
rant of  it.  I  mention  this,  not  because  it  is  of  much 
importance  in  itself,  but  to  show  the  fallibility  of  us 
all,  as  we  sometimes  copy  the  mistaken  assertions  of 
others. 

ADVANTAGES    OF    BUCKWHEAT. 

Under  some  circumstances,  clover  will  continue  to 
bloom  through  this  part  of  the  seafeon ;  also,  a  few 
other  flowers ;  but  I  find  by  weighing,  a  loss  from 
one  to  six  pounds,  between  the  20th  July  and  the  10th 
of  August,  when  the  flowers  of  buckwheat  begin  to 
yield  honey,  which  generally  proves  a  second  harvest. 
In  many  places  it  is  their  main  dependence  for  surplus 
honey.  It  is  considered  by  many  an  inferior  quality. 
The  color,  when  separated  from  comb,  resembles 
molasses  of  medium  shade.  The  taste  is  more  pungent 
than  clover  honey;  it  is  particularly  prized  on  that 
account  by  some,  and  disliked  by  others  for  the  same 
reason.  In  the  same  temperature  it  is  a  little  thicker 
than  other  honey,  and  is  sooner  candied. 

AMOUNT    OF    HONEY    COLLECTED    FROM    IT. 

Swarms  issuing  as  late  as  the  15th  July,  when  they 


102  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

commence  on  buckwheat,  sometimes  contain  not  over 
five  pounds  of  stores,  and  yet  make  good  stocks  for 
winter,  whereas,  without  this  yield,  they  might  not 
live  through  October.  It  fails  about  once  in  ten  years. 
I  have  known  a  swarm  to  gam  in  one  week  sixteen 
pounds,  and  construct  comb  to  store  it  at  the  same 
time.  At  another  time  I  had  a  swarm  issue  the  18th 
August,  that  obtained  thirty  pounds  in  about  eighteen 
days.  But  such  buckwheat  swarms,  in  ordinary  sea- 
sons, seldom  get  over  fifteen  pounds.  The  flowers 
last  from  three  to  five  weeks.  The  time  of  sowing 
the  grain  varies  in  different  sections,  from  the  10th  of 
June  to  the  20th  July.  Farmers  wish  to  give  it  just 
time  to  ripen  before  frost,  as  the  yield  of  grain  is  con- 
sidered better,  but  as  the  time  of  frost  is  a  matter  of 
guess-work,  some  will  sow  several  days  earlier  than 
others.  Whenever  an  abundant  crop  of  this  grain  is 
realized,  a  proportionate  quantity  of  honey  is  ob- 
tained. 

DO    BEES    INJURE    THE    CROP  ? 

Many  people  contend  that  bees  are  an  inj  ury  to  this 
crop,  by  taking  away  the  substance  that  would  be 
formed  into  grain.  The  best  reasons  for  this  opinion 
that  I  have  obtained  are  these  :  "  I  believe  it,  and  have 
thought  so  a  long  time."  "  It  is  reasonable  if  a  por- 
tion of  this  plant  is  taken  away  by  the  bees,  there 
must  be  a  less  quantity  of  material  left  for  the  form- 
ation of  seed,  &c."  Most  of  us  have  learned  that  a 
person's  ojoinion  is  not  the  strongest  kind  of  proof, 
unless  he  can  exhibit  substantial  reasons  for  it.  Are 
the  above  reasons  satisfactory  ?     How  are  the  facts? 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  103 

The  flowers  expand,  and  a  set  of  vessels  pour  into  the 
cup  or  nectary  a  minute  portion  of  honey.  I  am  not 
aware  that  any  one  contends  that  the  plant  has 
another  set  of  vessels  prepared  to  again  absorb  this 
honey  and  convert  it  into  grain.  But  strong  testi- 
mony proves  very  plainly  that  it  never  again  enters 
the  stalk  or  flower,  but  evaporates  like  water.  We 
all  know  that  animal  matter  when  putrid  will  be  dis- 
solved into  particles  small  enough  to  float  in  the 
atmosphere,  too  minute  for  the  naked  eye.  When 
passing  off  in  this  way  this  real  flesh  and  blood  would 
escape  notice  perhaps  altogether,  and  never  be  detect- 
ed, were  it  not  for  the  olfactories,  Avhich  on  some 
occasions  notify  us  of  its  presence  very  forcibly.  In 
passing  a  field  of  buckwheat  in  bloom,  by  the  same 
means  we  are  assured  of  the  presence  of  honey  in-  the 
air.  Now  what  is  the  difference  whether  this  honey 
passes  off  in  the  air,  or  is  collected  by  the  bees  ?  If 
any  difference,  the  advantage  appears  to  be  in  favor 
of  the  bees  getting  it,  for  the  reason  that  it  thus 
answers  another  important  end  in  the  economy  of 
nature,  consistent  with  her  provisions  in  ten  thousand 
different  ways  of  adapting  means  to  ends.  Most 
breeders  of  domestic  animals  are  aware  of  the  deterio- 
rating qualities  induced  by  in-and-in  breeding;  a 
change  of  breed  is  found  necessary  for  perfection,  &c. 

ARE  NOT  BEES  AN  ADVANTAGE  10  VEGETATION? 

Vegetable  physiology  seems  to  indicate  a  similar 
necessity  in  that  department.  The  stamens  and  pistils 
of  flowers  answer  the  different  organs  of  the  two  sexes 


104  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

in  animals.  The  pistil  is  connected  with  the  ovaries,  the 
stamens  furnish  the  pollen  that  must  come  in  contact 
with  the  pistil ;  in  other  words,  it  mvst  he  impregnated 
by  this  dust  from  the  stamens,  or  no  fruit  will  be  pro- 
duced. Now  if  it  be  necessary  to  change  the  breed, 
or  essential  that  the  pollen  produced  by  the  stamens 
of  one  flower  shall  fertilize  the  pistil  of  another,  to 
prevent  barrenness,  what  should  we  contrive  better 
than  the  arrangement  alread}^  made  by  Him  who  knew 
the  necessity  and  planned  it  accordingly  ?  And  it  works 
so  admirably,  that  we  can  hardly  avoid  the  conclu- 
sion that  bees  lucre  intended  for  this  important  purpose  ! 
It  is  thus  planned !  Their  wants  and  their  food  shall 
consist  of  honey  and  pollen ;  each  flower  secretes  but 
little,  just  enough  to  attract  the  bee;  nothing  like  a 
ftill  load  is  obtained  from  one  ;  were  it  thus,  the  end  in 
view  would  not  be  answered ;  but  a  hundred  or  more 
flowers  are  often  visited  in  one  excursion  ;  the  pollen 
obtained  from  the  first  may  fertilize  many,  previous  to 
the  bees'  returning  to  the  hive  ;  thus  a  field  of  "buck- 
wheat may  be  kept  in  health  and  vigor  in  its  future 
productions.  A  field  of  wheat  produces  long  slender 
stalks  that  yield  to  the  influence  of  the  breeze,  and 
one  ear  is  made  to  bestow  its  pollen  on  a  neighboring 
ear  several  feet  distant,  thereby  effecting  just  what 
bees  do  for  buckwheat.  Corn,  from  its  manner  of 
growth,  the  upright  stalk  bearing  the  stamens  some 
feet  above  the  pistils,  on  the  ears  below,  seems  to  need 
no  agency  of  bees ;  the  superabundant  pollen  from 
the  tassel  is  wafted  by  the  winds  rods  from  the  pro- 
ducing stalk,  and  there  does  its  ofiice  of  fertilizing  a 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  105 

distant  ear,  as  is  proved  bj  different  varieties  mixing 
at  some  distance.  But  how  is  it  with  our  vines  trail- 
ing on  the  earth,  a  part  of  these  flowers  producing 
stamens,  the  other  only  pistils  ?  Now  it  is  absolutely 
essential  that  pollen  from  the  staminate  flowers  shall 
be  introduced  into  the  pistillate  to  produce  fruit ; 
because  if  a  failure  occurs  in  this  matter  the  germ 
will  wither  and  die.  Here  we  have  the  agent  ready 
for  our  purpose ;  these  flowers  are  visited  by  the  bee 
promiscuously ;  no  pollen  (as  was  said)  is  kneaded 
into  pellets,  (particularly  that  from  pumpkins,)  but  it 
adheres  to  every  part  of  their  body,  rendering  it  next 
to  impossible  for  a  bee  thus  covered  with  dust  to  enter 
the  pistillated  flower  without  fulfilling  the  important 
duty  designed,  and  leave  a  portion  of  the  fertilizing 
dust  in  its  proper  place.  Hence  it  is  reasonably  in- 
ferred by  many,  that  if  it  was  not  for  this  agent  among 
our  vines,  the  uncertainty  of  a  crop  from  non-fertili- 
zation would  render  the  cultivation  of  them  a  useless 
task. 

^Yhen  the  aphis  is  located  on  the  stalk  or  leaf  of  a 
plant  it  is  furnished  with  means  to  pierce  the  surface 
and  extract  the  juices  essential  to  the  formation  of 
the  plant,  thereby  preventing  vigorous  growth  and  a 
full  development.  This  idea  is  too  apt  to  be  associ- 
ated with  the  bee  when  she  visits  the  flower,  as  if 
she  was  armed  with  a  spear,  to  pierce  bark  or  stem 
and  rob  it  of  its  nourishment.  Her  real  structure  is 
lost  sight  of,  or  perhaps  never  known ;  her  slender 
brush-like  tongue  folded  closely  under  her  neck,  and 
seldom  seen  except  when  in  use,  is  not  fitted  to  pierce 
5* 


106  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

the  most  delicate  substance ;  all  that  it  can  be  used 
for  is  to  sweep  or  lick  up  the  nectar  as  it  exudes  from 
the  pores  of  the  flower,  secreted,  it  would  seem,  for  no 
other  purpose  but  to  attract  her — while  there  she 
obtains  nothing  but  what  nature  has  provided  for  her 
and  given  her  the  means  of  obtaining,  and  the  most 
delicate  petal  receives  no  injury. 

During  an  excursion  the  bee  seldom  visits  more 
than  a  single  species  of  flower  ;  were  it  otherwise,  and 
all  kinds  of  flowers  were  visited  promiscuously,  by 
fertilizing  one  species  with  the  pollen  from  another, 
the  vegetable  kingdom  would  be  very  likely  to  get 
into  confusion.  Writers,  when  noticing  the  peculiarity 
of  instinct  governing  the  bee  here,  cannot  be  content 
always,  but  must  add  other  marvels.  They  follow 
this  trait  into  the  hive,  and  make  her  store  every  kind 
by  itself  there.  Relative  to  honey  it  is  not  an  easy 
matter  to  be  positive ;  but  pollen  is  of  a  variety  of 
colors,  generally  yellow,  yet  sometimes  pale-green,  and 
reddish  or  dark-brown.  Now  I  think  a  little  patient 
inspection  would  have  satisfied  any  one  that  two 
kinds  are  sometimes  packed  in  one  cell,  and  prevented 
the  assertion  to  the  contrary.  I  will  admit  that  two 
colors  are  seldom  found  packed  together,  but  some- 
times will  be.  I  have  thus  found  it,  and  it  has  en- 
tirely ruined  that  theory  for  me. 

A    TEST    FOR    THE    PRESENCE    OF    QUEEN    DOUBTEd" 

It  is  further  asserted  that  if  a  hive  loses  its  queen 
"  no  pollen  is  collected."  Also,  "  that  such  quantities 
are  sometimes  collected,  and  fill  so  many  cells,  that 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  107 

too  little  room  is  left  for  brood,  and  the  stuck  rapidly 
dwindles  away  in  consequence."  The  first  of  these 
assertions  has  been  given  as  a  test  to  decide  whether 
the  hive  contains  a  queen  or  not.  Now  my  bees  have 
such  a  habit  of  doing  things  wrong  that  the  above  is 
no  test  whatever.  It  is  made  to  appear  very  well  in 
theory,  but  wants  the  truth  in  practice.  I  will  say 
Avhat  I  have  known  on  this  point,  and  perhaps  clear 
up  the  difficulty  of  a  stock  containing  an  unusual 
quantity  of  bee-bread  with  the  honey,  and  instead  of 
being  the  cause  of  its  having  but  few  bees,  it  is  the  effect. 
Stocks  and  sometimes  swarms  lose  their  queen  in  the 
swarming  season,  (the  particulars  will  be  given  in 
another  place,)  when,  instead  of  remaining  idle,  the 
usual  quantity  of  both  pollen  and  honey  is  collected 
(unless  the  family  is  very  small).  There  being  no 
larvse  to  consume  the  bread,  the  consequence  is,  more 
than  half  the  breeding  cells  will  contain  it ;  they  will 
be  packed  about  two-thirds  full,  and  finished  out  with 
honey.  I  have  known  a  large  family  left  under  such 
circumstances,  and  about  all  the  cells  in  the  hive 
would  be  occupied.  Whereas,  in  a  stock  containing 
a  queen  and  rearing  brood,  a  poriioii  of  the  combs  will 
he  used  for  this  purpose  until  ilie  flowers  fail^  ai|i  then 
such  comb  will  be  found  empty. 

AN    EXTRA    QUANTITY    OF    POLLEX     NOT     ALWAYS    DETRIMENTAL. 

To  test  whether  this  extra  quantity  of  bee-bread 
was  so  very  detrimental,  I  have  introduced  into  such 
hive  in  the  fall  a  family  with  a  queen  and  wintered 
them  in  it,  and  watched  their  prosperity  another  year, 


108  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

and  never  found  them  less  profitable  on  that  account. 
I  am  so  well  satisfied  of  this,  that  whenever  I  now 
have  a  hive  in  such  a  situation,  it  is  a  rule  to  intro- 
duce a  swarm. 

It  is  calculated,  I  believe,  generally,  that  when  me- 
dium-sized hives  are  full,  about  seven-eighths  of  the 
cells  are  made  the  proper  diameter  for  raising  the 
workers,  the  remainder  for  drones,  except  a  few  for 
queens.  Here  is  one  circumstance  I  do  not  remember 
to  have  seen  mentioned,  and  that  is,  bee-bread  is  gen- 
erally packed  exclusively  in  the  worker  cells.  I  would 
say  always;  but  I  would  do  better  to  be  careful,  espe- 
cially as  I  find  my  bees  doing  things  so  differently  from 
some  others.  I  might  as  well  remark  here,  that  when 
taking  combs  from  a  hive  filled  with  honey,  if  such 
pieces  were  selected  as  contained  only  the  large  or 
drone  cells,  but  little  risk  of  bee-bread  would  occur ; 
of  the  other  combs,  the  outside  sheets  and  the  corners 
of  the  others  near  the  top  are  the  next  best.  The 
sheets  of  comb  used  principally  for  raising  workers, 
and  the  cells  next  those  so  used,  for  an  inch  or  two  in 
width,  are  nearly  all  packed  with  pollen,  and  much  of 
it  will  remain,  when  the  breeding  season  is  past. 
Smaller  portions  are  found  in  the  worker  cells  in  nearly 
all  parts  of  the  hive  ;  even  the  boxes  will  sometimes 
contain  a  little. 

MANNER    OF    PACKING    STORES. 

In  a  glass  hive,  the  bees  may  be  seen  depositing  their 
load  of  pollen  ;  the  legs  holding  the  pellets  are  thrust 
into  the  cell,  (not  their  heads),  and  a  motion  like  rub* 


BEE  PASTURAGE.  109 

bing  tliem  together  is  made  for  a  half  minute,  when 
they  are  withdrawn,  and  the  two  little  loaves  of  bread 
may  be  seen  at  the  bottom.  This  bee  appears  to  take 
ao  farther  care  about  them,  but  another  will  soon  come 
along,  and  enter  the  cell  head  first,  and  pack  it  close ; 
this  cell  is  filled  about  two-thirds  of  its  length  in  this 
way,  and  when  sealed  over  a  little  honey  is  used  to  fill 
it  out. 

PHILOSOPHY    rsr    FILLING    A    CELL     WITH    HONET. 

To  witness  the  operation  of  depositing  honey,  a  glass 
hive  or  box  is  requisite  ;  the  edges  of  the  combs  will 
be  attached  to  the  glass — when  honey  is  abundant, 
most  of  these  cells  next  the  glass  will  contain  some. 
Now  is  the  time  to  see  the  operation,  glass  forming  one 
side  of  such  as  are  in  contact,  &c.  The  bee  may  be  seen 
to  enter  the  cell  till  it  reaches  the  bottom ;  with  its 
tongue,  the  first  particle  is  deposited,  and  brushed  into 
the  corners  or  angles,  carefully  excluding  all  the  air 
from  behind  it — as  it  is  filled,  that  next  the  sides  of  the 
cell  is  kept  in  advance  of  the  centre.  The  bee  does 
not  put  its  tongue  in  the  centre  and  pour  out  its  load 
there,  but  carefully  brushes  the  sides  as  it  fills,  exclud- 
ing every  particle  of  air,  and  keeps  the  surface  concave 
instead  of  convex.  This  is  j  ust  as  a  philosopher  would 
say  it  should  be.  If  it  was  filled  at  once  and  no  care 
taken  to  attach  it  to  the  sides,  why,  the  external  air 
would  never  keep  it  there,  which  it  does  effectually 
when  of  ordinary  length.  When  the  cell  is  about  one- 
fourth  of  an  in  ;;h  deep  they  often  commence  filling  it, 
and  as  it  is  lengthened  they  add  to  it,  keeping  it  within 


110  BEE  PASTURAGE. 

an  eighth  of  an  inch  of  the  end ;  it  is  never  quite  full 
till  nearly  sealed  over,  and  often  not  then.  In  cells 
of  the  worker  size,  the  sealing  seldom  touches  the 
honey.  But  in  the  size  for  drones  the  case  is  different ; 
the  honey  on  the  end  touches  the  sealing,  about  half 
the  diameter  on  the  lower  side ;  it  is  kept  in  the  same 
shape  while  being  filled ;  but  being  somewhat  larger, 
the  atmospheric  pressure  is  less  effectual  in  keeping 
the  honey  in  its  place ;  consequently,  when  they  com- 
mence sealing  these  cells  they  begin  on  the  lower  side 
and  finish  at  the  top. 

LOXG    CELLS    SOMETIMES    TURNED    UPWARD. 

When  storing  honey  in  boxes,  cells  of  this  size  are 
usually  much  longer,  in  which  case  they  are  crooked, 
the  ends  turning  upward,  sometimes  half  an  inch  or 
more ;  this,  of  course,  will  prevent  the  honey  from 
running,  but  if  the  box  is  taken  off  and  turned  over 
before  such  cells  are  sealed,  they  are  very  sure  to  spill 
most  of  their  contents.  The  cells  in  the  breeding 
apartment,  of  ordinary  length,  will  hold  the  honey  well 
enough  as  long  as  horizontal ;  but  turn  the  hive  on  its 
side,  and  bring  the  open  end  downward,  in  hot  wea- 
ther, or  break  out  a  piece  and  hold  it  in  that  position, 
the  air  will  not  sustain  it  in  them,  but  will,  in  the  size 
suitable  for  workers. 

When  the  hive  is  fully  supplied  with  bees  and  honey, 
(unless  destitute  of  a  queen,)  I  never  examined  one, 
winter  or  summer,  but  it  had  a  number  of  unsealed 
cells  containing  honey,  as  well  as  pollen  ;  it  is  so  when 
they  have  stored  fifty  pounds  in  boxes,  even  when  so 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  Ill 

crowded  for  room  as  to  store  honey  outside  or  under 
the  bottom-board ;  ever  having  some  cells  open  for  a 
ready  supply. 

Young  swarms  seem  unwilling  to  construct  combs 
faster  than  needed  for  use ;  it  would  appear,  at  first 
thought,  to  be  a  lack  of  economy.  "When  no  honey  is 
to  be  obtained  and  nothing  to  do,  then  it  would  seem 
to  be  a  fine  chance  for  getting  ready  for  a  yield  ;  but 
this  is  not  their  way  of  doing  business ;  whether  they 
cannot  spare  the  honey  already  collected  to  elaborate 
the  v/ax,  or  whether  they  find  it  more  difficult  to  keep 
the  worms  from  a  large  quantity  of  comb,  I  shall  not 
decide.  Of  this  I  am  satisfied,  that  it  is  better  arranged 
b^  their  instincts,  than  we  could  do  it.  Large  swarms, 
when  first  located,  if  honey  is  abundant,  will  extend 
their  combs  from  top  to  bottom  in  a  little  more  than 
two  weeks  ;  but  such  hive  is  not  yel  full :  some  sheets 
of  comb  may  contain  honey  throughout  their  whole 
length,  and  not  a  cell  be  s^led  over ;  but,  however, 
they  generally  find  time  to  finish  up  within  a  few  inches 
of  the  lower  end  as  they  proceed.  Whenever  unfinish  - 
ed  cells  contain  honey,  it  will  generally  be  removed 
soon  after  the  flowers  fail,  and  used  before  that  which 
is  sealed  ;  and  the  cells  will  remain  empty  till  another 
year. 

IS    A    DRY    OR    WET  SEASON    BEST  FOR  HONEY  1 

The  inquiry  is  often  made,  "What  kind  of  season  is 
best  for  bees,  wet  or  dry  ?"  This  point  I  have  watched 
very  closely,  and  have  found  that  a  medium  between 
the  two  extremes  produces  most  honey.     When  farm- 


112  BEE   PASTURAGE. 

ers  begin  to  express  fears  of  a  drought,  then  is  the  time 
(if  in  the  season  of  flowers)  that  most  honey  is  obtain- 
ed ;  but  if  dry  weather  passes  these  limits,  the  quan- 
tity is  greatly  diminished.  Of  the  two  extremes,  per- 
haps very  wet  is  the  worst. 

HOW    MANY    STOCKS    SHOULD    BE    KEPT. 

"  What  number  of  stocks  can  there  be  kept  in  one 
place  ?"  is  another  question  often  asked.  This  is  like 
Mr.  A.  asking  farmer  B.  how  many  cattle  could  be 
pastured  in  a  lot  of  ten  acres.  Farmer  B,  would  first 
wish  to  know  how  much  pasture  said  lot  would  pro- 
duce, before  he  could  begin  to  answer ;  since  one  lot 
of  that  size  might  produce  ten  times  as  much  as  the 
other.  So  with  bees,  one  apiary  of  two  hundred  stocks 
might  find  honey  in  abundance  for  all,  and  another  of 
forty  might  almost  starve.  Like  the  cattle,  it  depends 
on  pasture. 

THREE    PRINCIPAL,  SOURCES    OF  HONEY. 

There  are  three  principal  sources  of  honey,  viz. : — 
clover,  basswood,  and  buckwheat.  But  clover  is  the 
only  universal  dependance ;  as  that  is  almost  every- 
where, to  some  extent,  in  the  country.  Buckwheat  in 
some  places  is  the  main  source ;  in  others,  basswood, 
which  is  of  brief  duration.  Where  all  three  are  abund- 
ant, there  is  the  true  El  Dorado  of  the  apiarian !  With 
plenty  of  clover  and  buckwheat,  it  is  nearly  as  well. 
Even  with  clover  alone,  enormous  quantities  of  honey 
are  obtained.  I  have  said  what  was  our  dependence 
in  this  section.     I  will  further  say  that  within  a  circle 


BEE   PASTURAGE.  113 

of  three  or  four  miles,  there  are  kept  about  three  hun- 
dred slocks,  I  have  had  for  several  years,  three  apia- 
ries about  two  miles  apart,  averaging  in  spring  a  little 
more  than  fifty  in  each.  When  a  good  season  for  clo- 
ver occurs,  as  many  more  would  probably  do  equally 
well,  but  in  some  other  seasons  I  have  had  too  many ; 
on  an  average  nearly  right.  When  clover  furnishes 
too  little  honey  for  the  number,  buckwheat  usually 
supplies  more  than  is  collected.  Of  surplus  honey,  the 
proportion  is  about  fifteen  pounds  of  buckwheat  to  one 
of  clover.  I  have  now  been  speaking  of  large  apiaries. 
There  can  hardly  be  a  section  of  country  found,  that 
man  can  procure  his  living,  but  what  a  few  stocks 
would  thrive,  even  if  there  were  no  dependence  on 
the  sources  just  mentioned.  There  will  be  some  honey- 
yielding  flowers  in  nearly  all  places.  The  evil  of  over- 
stocking is  of  short  duration,  and  will  work  its  own 
cure  speedily.  Some  judgment  is  required  here  as  well 
as  in  other  matters. 

Another  question  of  some  interest,  is  the  distance 
that  a  bee  will  travel  in  search  of  honey  in  flowers — 
it  is  evident  that  it  will  be  farther  than  they  will  go 
to  plunder  a  stock,  I  have  heard  of  their  being  found 
seven  miles  from  home.  It  was  said  they  ascertained, 
by  sprinkling  flour  on  them  as  they  left  the  hive  in 
the  morning,  and  then  saw  the  same  bees  that  distance 
away.  When  we  consider  the  chances  of  finding  a  bee 
even  one  mile  from  the  hive  thus  marked,  it  appears 
like  a  "poor  look ;"  and  then  pollen  the  color  of  flour 
might  deceive  us.     It  is  difficult  to  prove  that  bees  go 


114  WAX. 

even  two  miles.     Let   us  say  we  gaess  at  it,  foi  the 
present. 


CHAPTER  V. 

WAX. 

The  careless,  unreflecting  observer,  when  seeing  the 
bees  enter  the  hive  with  a  pellet  of  pollen  on  each  of 
their  posterior  legs,  is  very  apt  to  conclude  that  it 
must  be  material  for  comb,  as  it  appears  unlike  honey. 
So  little  regard  is  paid  to  the  matter  by  many  people, 
that  they  are  unable  to  imagine  any  other  use  for  it. 
Others  suppose  that  it  will  change  from  that  to  honey, 
after  being  stored  a  time  in  the  hive,  and  wonder  at 
the  curious  phenomenon ;  but  when  asked  how  long 
a  time  must  elapse  before  it  takes  place,  they  cannot 
tell  exactly,  but  they  "  have  found  cells  where  it  be- 
gan to  change,  as  a  portion  near  the  outer  end  of  the 
cell  had  become  honey,  and  no  doubt  the  remainder 
would  in  time."  It  has  been  remarked  that  cells  were 
only  filled  about  two-thirds  full  of  this,  and  finished 
with  honey ;  now  when  any  one  finds  a  cell  filled  to 
the  brim  with  pollen,  and  no  honey,  such  reasoning 
will  apply  better.  If  this  was  the  case,  by  examining 
at  different  periods  through  the' summer,  we  certainly 
should  find  some  cells  before  the  change  had  com- 
menced, instead  of  their  always  being  in  just  this  stage 
of  transition. 


WAX.  115 

IS  POLLEX  COX^TERTED  IXTO  WAX? 

As  for  pollen  being  converted  into  wax  or  comb,  a 
simple  question  will  show  its  fallacy.  Do  not  the  bees 
belonging  to  a  hive  that  is  full  of  combs,  and  no  more 
wax  for  that  purpose  needed,  bring  home  as  much  and 
often  more  pollen  than  one  half  full  ?  Any  person 
■who  has  watched  two  such  hives  five  minutes  when 
busily  engaged  at  work,  can  answer.  It  is  evident, 
then,  that  pollen  is  for  something  else  besides  wax. 

HOW  IS  IT  OBTAINED  1 

The  inquiry  is  now  made,  "  "Where  do  they  get  it 
from,  if  not  from  pollen?"  I  might  with  propriety 
answer,  they  don't;  get  it  at  all.  "Stop,  there,  if  you 
please ;  if  you  expect  us  to  credit  you,  you  must  not 
give  us  too  much  absurdity."  "Well,  let  me  ask  a 
question.  Do  cattle  when  grazing  actually  obtain 
flesh,  bone,  &;c.,  or  only  the  materials  from  which  these 
parts  are  secreted?  As  to  the  production  of  wax,  I 
believe  all  close  observers  (that  I  have  found)  agree 
that  it  is  a  secretion  natural  only  to  the  bee.  With 
the  ox,  fruit,  grain,  or  grass  may  be  converted  into 
tallow  ;  with  the  bee,  honey  and  syrup  made  of  sugar 
may  be  converted  into  wax.  These  are  probably  the 
only  two  substances  yet  discovered  from  which  they 
extract  it.  Some  writers  have  pretended  that  pollen 
is  also  used,  but  they  have  failed  to  prove  that  the 
old  bees  consume  it  at  any  time ;  which  they  must  in 
this  case  if  it  is  converted  into  wax.  From  experi- 
ments related  by  Huber,  either  of  these  substances, 
mixed  with  a  little  water,  is  all  suf&cient  for  its  pro- 


116  WAX. 

duction.  From  experiments  of  my  own,  I  am  sacisfied 
that  he  is  correct.  The  experiment  is  tried  by  shut- 
ting up  a  swarm  when  first  hived  ;  feeding  them  with 
honey — a  few  of  the  bees  will  probably  have  some 
pollen,  though  not  enough  to  make  a  comb  three 
inches  square,  yet  it  is  something — and  to  be  certain, 
time  must  be  given  them  to  exhaust  it.  In  three  or 
four  days  take  out  the  bees  and  remove  the  combs ; 
inclose  them  again,  and  feed  with  honey  as  before. 
Eepeat  the  process,  until  satisfied  that  no  pollen  is 
needed  in  the  composition  of  wax.  Huber  removed 
the  combs  "five  times,"  with  the  same  result  at  every 
trial.  Whenever  bees  are  confined  in  hot  weather,  air 
and  water'  are  absolutely  necessary. 

"VVe  will  now  describe  the  first  appearance  of  wax, 
and  how  it  is  produced.  When  a  swarm  of  bees  is 
about  leaving  the  parent  stock,  three-fourths  or  more 
of  them  will  fill  their  sacks  with  honey.  When  located 
in  their  new  home,  of  course  no  cells  exist  to  hold  it ; 
it  must  remain  in  the  stomach  or  sack  for  several 
hours.  The  consequence  is,  that  thin  white  scales  of 
wax  the  sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  somewhat 
circular,  are  formed  between  the  rings  of  the  abdomen, 
under  side.  With  the  claws  of  one  of  their  hind  legs 
one  of  these  is  detached  and  conveyed  to  the  mouth, 
and  there  pinched  with  their  forceps  or  teeth,  until 
one  edge  is  worked  somewhat  rough ;  it  is  then  ap- 
plied to  the  comb  being  constructed,  or  to  the  roof  of 
the  hive.  The  first  rudiments  of  comb  are  often  applied 
within  the  first  half  hour  after  the  swarm  is  hived. 
In  the  history  of  insects  before  noticed,  is  a  minute 


WAX.  117 

account  of  the  first  foundation  of  combs,  somewhat 
amusing,  if  not  instructive. 

hctber's  account  of  a  commkncemkxt  of  comb. 
Huber,  it  is  said,  "  having  provided  a  hive  with 
honey  and  water,  it  wa?  resorted  to  in  crowds  by  bees, 
who,  having  satisfied  their  appetite,  returned  to  the 
hive.  Thev  formed  festoons,  remained  motionless  for 
twenty-four  hours,  and  after  a  time  scales  of  wax 
appeared.  An  adequate  supply  of  wax  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  comb  having  been  elaborated,  one  of 
them  disengaged  itself  from  the  centre  of  the  group, 
and  clearing  a  space  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  at  the 
top  of  the  hive,  applied  the  pincers  of  one  of  its  legs 
to  its  side,  detached  a  scale  of  wax,  and  immediately 
began  to  mince  it  with  the  tongue.  During  the  opera- 
tion, this  organ  was  made  to  assum^e  every  variety  of 
shape  ;  sometimes  it  appeared  like  a  trowel,  then 
flattened  like  a  spatula,  and  at  other  times  like  a 
pencil,  ending  in  a  point.  The  scale,  moistened  with  a 
frothy  liquid,  became  glutinous,  and  was  drawn  out 
like  a  riband.  This  bee  then  attached  all  the  wax  it 
could  concoct  to  the  vault  of  the  hive,  and  went  its 
Avay.  A  second  now  succeeded,  and  did  the  like ;  a 
third  followed,  but  owing  to  some  blunder  did  not  put 
the  wax  in  the  same  line  with  its  predecessor ;  upon 
which  another  bee,  apparently  sensible  of  the  defect, 
removed  the  displaced  wax,  and  carrying  it  to  the 
former  heap,  deposited  it  there,  exactly  in  the  order 
and  direction  pointed  out."  Now  I  have  some  objec- 
tions to  make  to  this  account.     First,  in   the   usual 


118  WAX. 

course  of  swarming,  it  is  unnecessary  to  provide  the 
honey  and  water,  as  they  come  laden  with  honey  from 
the  parent  stock.  Next,  to  form  festoons  and  remain 
motionless  twenty-four  hours  to  concoct  the  wax,  is 
not  the  way  they  generally  manage  affairs.  They 
either  swallow  the  honey  before  leaving  home  long 
enough  to  have  the  wax  ready,  or  less  time  than 
twenty-four  hours  is  needed  to  produce  it.  I  have 
frequently  found  lumps,  half  the  size  of  a  pin's  head, 
attached  to  the  branch  of  a  tree  where  they  had  clus- 
tered, when  they  had  not  been  there  over  twenty-five 
minutes.  I  have  had  occasion  a  few  times  to  change 
the  swarm  to  another  tenement,  an  hour  or  two  after 
being  hived,  and  found  places  on  the  top  nearly  cov- 
ered with  wax.  How  it  was  managed  to  see  a  bee  quit 
the  *'  group,"  is  more  than  I  can  comprehend ;  and  then 
the  tongue  to  be  the  only  instrument  used  to  mould 
the  scale  of  wax,  is  another  dif&culty  ;  to  witness  the 
whole  process  minutely  in  this  stage  of  comb-making 
has  never  been  my  good  fortune,  and  I  am  sometimes 
inclined  to  doubt  the  success  of  others.  I  have  had 
glass  hives,  and  put  swarms  in  them,  and  always  found 
the  first  rudiments  of  comb  so  entirely  covered  with 
bees  as  to  prevent  my  seeing  anything. 

BEST    TIME    TO    WITNESS    COMB-MAKING. 

The  only  time  when  I  have  witnessed  the  process 
with  an}^  degree  of  satisfaction,  is  when  the  combs 
approach  the  glass,  and  but  few  bees  in  the  way  ;  then, 
by  watching  patiently  a  few  minutes,  some  part  of  the 
process  may  be  seen. 


WAX.  119 

MANNER    OF    "WORKING   WAX. 

Transferring  the  swarms  to  different  hives  from  one 
to  forty-eight  hours  after  being  hived,  will  show  their 
progress.  I  have  found  that  wax  is  attached  to  the 
top  of  the  hive  at  first  promiscuously,  that  is,  without 
the  least  order,  until  some  of  the  blocks  or  lumps 
are  sufficiently  advanced  for  them  to  begin  cells.  The 
scales  of  wax  are  welded  on  the  edge  quite  thick, 
without  regard  to  the  shape  of  the  cell,  then  an  ex- 
cavation is  made  on  one  side  for  the  bottom  of  a  cell, 
and  two  others  on  the  opposite  side ;  the  division 
between  them  exactly  opposite  the  centre  of  the  first. 
When  this  piece  is  an  inch  or  two  in  length,  two  other 
pieces  at  equal  distances  on  each  side  are  commenced. 
If  the  swarm  is  large,  and  honey  abundant,  it  is 
common  for  two  pieces  of  comb  to  be  started  at  one 
time  on  different  parts  of  the  top ;  the  sheets  in  the 
two  places  are  often  at  right  angles,  or  any  other  way, 
just  as  chance  happens  to  give  direction.  The  little 
lumps  that  are  placed  at  random  at  first  are  all  re- 
moved as  they  advance. 

While  the  combs  are  in  progress,  the  edges  are 
always  kept  much  the  thickest,  and  the  base  of  the 
cell  is  worked  down  to  the  proper  thickness  with 
their  teeth,  and  polished  smooth  as  glass.  The  ends 
of  the  cell  also,  as  they  lengthen  them,  will  always  be 
found  much  thicker  than  any  other  part  of  it  when 
finished. 

When  two  combs  approach  each  other  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  hive  at  nearly  right  angles,  an  edge  of 
comb  is  left  there;  but  when   an   obtuse  angle,  the 


120  WAX. 

edges  are  generally  joined,  making  a  sheet  of  crooked 
comb.  It  is  evident  where  the  two  combs  join,  there 
must  be  some  irregular  cells  unfit  for  rearing  brood. 

ARE    CROOKED    COMBS    A    DISADVANTAGE? 

These  few  irregular  cells  have  been  considered  a 
great  disadvantage.  It  is  thought,  or  pretended,  that 
there  is  a  vast  difference  between  the  prosperity  of  a 
stock  with  straight  combs  and  one  with  crooked  ones. 
To  avoid  them,  or  cause  the  bees  to  make  them  all 
straight,  has  given  rise  to  much  contrivance,  as  if  a 
few  such  cells  could  effect  much.  Suppose  there 
were  a  dozen  sheets  of  comb  in  a  hive,  and  each  one 
had  a  row  or  more  of  such  irregular  cells  from  top  to 
bottom,  what  proportion  would  they  hold  to  those 
that  were  perfect  ?  Perhaps  not  one  in  a  thousand. 
Hence  we  infer  that  in  a  hive  of  the  proper  size,  the 
difference  in  amount  of  brood  never  could  be  per- 
ceived. This  is  the  only  difference  it  can  make,  be- 
cause such  cells  can  be  used  for  storing  honey  as  well 
as  others.  But  sometimes  there  will  be  corners  and 
spaces  not  wide  enough  for  two  combs,  and  too  wide 
for  one  of  the  proper  thickness  for  breeding.  As  bees 
use  all  their  room  economically,  and  generally  at  the 
best  advantage,  a  thick  comb  will  be  the  result.  It  is 
said  they  never  use  such  thick  combs  for  breeding. 
How  are  the  facts  ?  I  have  just  such  a  space  in  a 
glass  hive ;  one  comb  two  inches  thick.  How  is  it 
managed  ?  Towards  fall  this  sheet  is  filled  with 
honey  ;  the  cells  outside  are  lengthened  until  there  is 
just  room  for  a  bee  to  pass  between  them  and  the 


WAX.  121 

glass,  when  they  are  sealed  over.  In  spring  these 
long  (lells  are  all  cut  down  (except  at  the  top  and 
upper  corners)  to  the  proper  length  for  breeding,  and 
used  for  this  purpose.  This  has  been  done  for  five 
years  in  succession, 

I  will  grant  that  there  is  a  little  waste  room  in  such 
spaces,  for  part  of  the  year.  It  amounts  to  but  little, 
as  it  is  only  outside.  They  are  necessitated  to  make 
such  combs,  because  the  inside  combs,  if  built  in  a 
breeding  apartment,  however  crooked  one  may  be,  the 
next  one  will  generally  match  it,  the  right  distance 
from  it.  But  when  they  are  built  expressly  for  stor- 
ing honey,  in  such  as  are  made  in  boxes,  the  right 
distance  is  not  so  well  preserved ;  hence  it  is  not 
recommended  to  compel  bees  to  use  such  storing 
apartment  for  breeding.  But  suppose  we  should  com- 
pel a  swarm  to  labor  under  these  disadvantages,  I 
should  not  apprehend  such  disastrous  results,  (pro- 
viding they  have  a  proper  proportion  of  worker  cells,) 
as  no  swarms,  or  even  no  surplus  honey,  as  has  been 
represented.  Imagine  a  hive  filled  with  combs  that 
are  all  too  thick,  and  room  wasted  when  cut  down,  to 
the  amount  of  one-fourth  of  all  that  is  in  the  hive. 
Now  here  are  combs  enough  left  to  mature  three- 
fourths  as  many  bees  as  in  an  ordinary  hive,  where 
all  are  right.  We  can  now  suppose  a  good  swarm 
will  bring  home  the  same  amount  of  honey  as  though 
it  belonged  to  other  hives ;  only  three-fourths  as 
much  can  be  fed  to  the  brood,  and  stored  in  the  hive; 
and  the  result  ought  to  be,  that  we  get  a  quarter  more 
surplus  honey  in  boxes.  Even  if  we  get  no  swarm,  I 
6 


122  WAX. 

cannot  see  how  our  surplus  honey  can  be  less,  as  in 
this  case  there  would  be  more  bees  at  all  limes  than 
in  a  hive  that  had  been  reduced  by  swarming. 

Does  experience  substantiate  the  theory  that  stocks 
with  crooked  combs  are  as  profitable  as  when  they 
are  straight  ?  When  combs  are  built  expressly  for 
breeding,  I  could  never  discover  any  difference.  Any 
person  can  easily  test  it  by  a  little  observation ;  not 
by  taking  a  solitary  instance  of  only  one  hive,  be- 
cause some  other  cause  might  produce  the  result. 
Take  a  half-dozen  at  least  with  straight  combs,  and 
as  many  with  them  crooked  ;  have  them  all  alike  in 
other  respects,  and  carefully  watch  the  result.  I  think 
you  will  have  but  little  interest  which  way  the  combs 
are  made,  providing  they  are  made,  as  far  as  profit  is 
concerned.  It  is  true,  it  would  gratify  order  to  have 
them  all  straight,  and  if  it  was  not  attended  with  more 
trouble  than  the  result  would  pay  for,  it  would  be 
well  to  have  them  so. 

In  ordinary  circumstances,  when  a  swarm  is  first 
hived,  they  set  about  comb-making  immediately  ;  yet 
sometimes  they  will  remain  two  days,  and  not  make  a 
particle.  I  have  known  them  to  swarm  out  and  cluster 
in  the  usual  way,  and  when  rehived,  commence  at  once. 
This  seems  to  prove  that  they  can  retain  the  wax,  or 
prevent  secreting  it,  till  wanted.     This  seldom  occurs. 

UNCERTAINTY    IN    WEIGHT    OF    BEES. 

A  large  swarm  will  probably  carry  with  them  some 
five  01  six  pounds  of  honey  from  the  parent  stock. 
I  onljf  guess  at  this,  because  I  am  uncertain  what  the 


WAX.  128 

bees  weigh  exactly.  "  I  can  tell  you,"  some  one  ex- 
claims, "  I  saw  some  weighed, — so  many  weigh  just 
eight  ounces."  Are  you  sure  there  was  nothing  but 
bees  weighed?  Was  there  no  honey,  bee-bread,  faeces, 
or  other  substance,  that  might  deceive  you  ?  "  Can't 
say ;  I  never  thought  of  that!"  Now  it  is  important, 
if  we  weigh  bees  to  know  their  weight,  to  be  sure 
we  weigh  nothing  else.  It  is  evident,  that  if  five 
thousand  weigh  three  pounds,  when  nothing  is  in  their 
sacks,  they  would  weigh,  when  filled  with  honey, 
several  pounds  more.  Hence,  the  fallacy  of  judging 
of  the  size  of  a  swarm  by  weight,  as  one  swarm 
might  issue  with  half  the  honey  of  another.  Per- 
haps eight  pounds,  for  large  swarms,  might  be  an  av- 
erage for  bees  and  honey.  This  honey,  whatever  it 
amounts  to,  cannot  be  stored  till  combs  are  construct- 
ed to  hold  it.  This  principle  holds  good  till  the  hive 
is  full.  That  is,  whenever  they  have  more  honey  than 
the  combs  will  hold,  if  there  is  room  in  the  hive,  they 
construct  more.  But  they  seem  to  go  no  farther  than 
this  in  comb-making.  However  large  the  swarm  may 
be,  this  compulsion  appears  necessary  to  fill  the  hive. 
Drone-cells  are  seldom  made  in  the  top  of  the  hive, 
but  a  part  are  generally  joined  on  the  worker-cells, 
a  little  distance  from  the  top ;  others  near  the  bottom. 
There  seems  to  be  no  rule  about  the  number  of  such 
cells.  Some  hives  will  contain  twice  the  number  of 
others.  It  may  depend  on  the  yield  of  honey  at  the 
time ;  when  very  plenty,  more  drone-cells,  &c.  If  the 
hive  be  very  large,  no  doubt  an  unprofitable  number 
would  be  constructed.     Where  the  large  and  small 


124  WAX. 

cells  join,  there  will  be  some  cells  of  irregular  shape ; 
some  with  four  or  five  angles  ;  the  distance  from  one 
angle  to  the  other  is  also  varied.  Even  where  two 
combs  of  cells  the  same  size  join,  making  a  straight 
comb,  they  are  not  always  perfect. 

SOME    WAX    WASTED. 

When  constructing  comb,  they  are  constantly  wast- 
ing wax,  either  accidentally  or  voluntarily.  The  next 
morning  after  a  swarm  is  located,  the  scales  may  be 
found,  and  will  continue  to  increase  as  long  as  they 
are  working  it ;  the  quantity  often  amounts  to  a  hand- 
ful or  more.  It  is  the  best  test  of  comb-making  that  I 
can  give.  Clean  off  the  board  and  look  the  next  morn- 
ing, you  will  find  the  scales  in  proportion  to  their 
progress.  Some  will  be  nearly  round  as  at  first ;  oth- 
ers more  or  less  worked  up,  and  a  part  will  be  like 
fine  saw-dust. 

Huber  and  some  others  have  divided  the  working 
bees  into  different  classes,  denominating  some  wax- 
workers,  others  nurses,  and  pollen  gatherers,  &c.  It 
may  be  partially  true,  but  how  it  was  found  out  is  the 
mystery. 

The  angles  in  the  cells  used  for  brood,  are  gradual- 
ly filled,  and  after  a  time  become  round,  both  at  the 
ends  and  sides. 

WATER    NECESSARY    TO    COMB-MAKING. 

Whenever  bees  are  engaged  making  comb,  a  supply 
of  water  is  absolutely  necessary.  Some  think  it  re- 
quisite in  rearing  brood.     It  may  be  needed  for  that, 


WAX.  125 

or  it  may  be  required  for  both  purposes ,  but  yet  I 
have  doubts  if  a  particle  is  given  to  the  young  bee,  be- 
sides what  the  honey  contains.  June,  and  first  part  of 
July,  and  most  part  of  August  (the  season  of  buck- 
wheat,) are  periods  of  extensive  comb-making  ;  they 
then  use  most  water;  breeding  is  carried  on  from 
March  till  October,  and  as  extensively  in  May,  per- 
haps more  so,  than  in  August,  yet  not  a  tenth  part  of 
the  water  is  used  in  May. 

I  have  known  stocks  repeatedly  to  mature  brood, 
from  the  egg  to  the  perfect  bee,  when  shut  in  a  dark 
room  for  months,  when  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a 
drop  ;  also  stocks  that  stand  in  the  cold,  (if  good,)  will 
mature  some  brood  whether  the  bees  can  leave  the 
hive  or  not.  These  facts  prove  that  some  are  reared 
without  water.  As  they  get  sufficient  honey  to  re- 
quire more  comb  to  store  it,  they  will  at  the  same 
time  have  a  brood ;  and  it  is  easy  to  guess  they  need 
it  for  brood  as  comb,  without  a  little  investigation. 
This  much  is  certain,  that  they  use  water  at  such  times 
for  some  purpose,  and  when  no  pond,  brook,  spring, 
or  other  source  is  within  convenient  distance,  the  api-  ' 
arian  would  find  it  economy  to  place  some  within  their 
reach,  as  it  would  save  much  valuable  time,  if  they 
would  otherwise  have  to  go  a  great  distance,  when 
they  might  be  more  profitably  employed  ;  it  always 
happens  in  a  season  of  honey.  It  should  be  so  situa- 
ted that  the  bees  may  obtain  it  without  jeopardizing 
their  lives  ; — a  barrel  or  pail  has  sides  so  steep  that  a 
great  many  will  slip  off"  and  drown.  A  trough  made 
very  shallow,  with  a  good  broad  strip  around  the  edge 


126  WAX. 

to  afford  an  alighting  place,  should  be  provided.  The 
middle  should  contain  a  float,  or  a  handful  of  shavings 
spread  in  the  water  with  a  few  small  stones  laid  on 
them  to  prevent  their  being  blown  away  when  the 
water  is  out,  is  very  cjnvenient.  A  tin  dish  an  inch 
or  so  in  depth,  will  do  very  well.  The  quantity  need- 
ed may  be  ascertained  by  what  is  used — only  give  them 
enough,  and  change  it  daily.  I  have  no  trouble  of 
this  kind,  as  there  is  a  stream  of  water  within  a  few 
rods  of  the  hives ;  but  I  have  an  opportunity  to  wit- 
ness something  of  the  number  engaged  in  carrying  it. 
Thousands  may  be  seen  (in  June  and  August)  filling 
their  sacks,  while  a  continual  stream  is  on  the  wing, 
going  and  returning. 

REMARKS. 

The  exact  and  uniform  size  of  their  cells  is  perhaps 
as  great  a  mystery  as  anything  pertaining  to  them  ; 
yet,  we  find  the  second  wonder  before  we  are  done 
with  the  first.  In  building  comb,  they  have  no  square 
or  compass  as  a  guide  ;  no  master  mechanic  takes  the 
lead,  measuring  and  marking  for  the  workmen  ;  each 
individual  among  them  is  a  finished  mechanic  !  No 
time  is  lost  as  an  apprentice,  no  service  given  in  re- 
turn for  instruction  !  Each  is  accomplished  from  birth! 
All  are  alike ;  what  one  begins,  a  dozen  may  help  to 
finish  !  A  specimen  of  their  work  shows  itself  to  be 
from  the  hands  of  master  workmen,  and  may  be  taken 
as  a  model  of  perfection  !  He,  who  arranged  the  uni- 
verse, was  their  instructor.  Yes,  a  profound  geometri- 
cian planned  the  first  cell,  and  knowing  what   would 


WAX.  127 

be  their  wants,  implanted  in  the  censorium  of  tlie  first 
bee,  all  things  pertaining  to  their  welfare  ;  the  impress 
then  given,  is  yet  retained  unimpaired  !  Thej  need 
no  lectures  on  domestic  economy  to  tell  them,  by  using 
the  base  of  one  set  of  cells  on  one  side  of  their  combs, 
for  the  base  of  those  on  the  opposite,  will  save  both 
labor  and  wax  ;  no  mathematician  that  a  pyramidal 
base,  just  three  angles,  with  just  such  an  inclination, 
will  be  the  exact  shape  needed,  and  consume  much 
less  wax  than  round  or  square — that  the  base  of  one 
cell  of  three  angles,  would  form  a  part  of  the  base  of 
three  other  cells  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  comb — ■ 
that  each  of  the  six  sides  of  one  cell  forms  one  side  of 
six  others  around  it — that  these  angles  and  these  only 
would  answer  their  ends, 

"The  bees  appear,"  says  Eeaumer,  "to  have  a 
problem  to  solve,  which  would  puzzle  many  a  mathe- 
matician. A  quantity  of  matter  being  given,  it  is  re- 
quired to  form  out  of  it  cells,  which  shall  be  equal, 
and  similar,  and  of  a  determinate  size,  but  the  largest 
possible  with  relation  to  the  quantity  of  matter  em- 
ployed, while  they  shall  occupy  the  least  possible 
space  !" 

How  little  does  the  epicure  heed,  when  feasting  on 
the  fruits  of  their  industry,  that  each  morsel  tasted 
must  destroy  the  most  perfect  specimens  of  workman- 
ship !  that  in  a  moment  he  can  demolish  what  it  has 
taken  hours,  yes  days,  perhaps  weeks,  of  assiduous  toil 
and  labor,  for  the  bees  to  accomplish  ! 


128  PROPOLIS. 

CHAPTEE    VI. 

PROPOLIS. 

WHAT    USED    FOR. 

This  substance  is  first  used  to  solder  up  all  the 
cracks,  flaws,  and  irregularities  about  the  hive.  A 
coat  is  then  spread  over  the  inside  throughout ;  when 
the  hive  is  full,  and  many  bees  cluster  outside,  the 
latter  part  of  summer,  a  coat  of  it  is  also  spread  there. 
An  additional  coat  it  seems  is  annually  applied,  as  old 
hives  will  be  coated  with  a  thickness  proportionate  to 
its  age,  providing  it  has  been  occupied  with  a  strong 
family.  Huber  has  said  it  was  also  used  to  strengthen 
the  cells  when  first  made,  by  mixing  it  with  the  wax. 
If  it  was  their  practice  at  that  time,  the  practice  has 
been  abandoned  by  our  bees  to  a  great  extent.  I 
have  made  examinations  when  comb  was  first  made, 
when  it  contained  eggs,  and  when  it  contained  larvae, 
and  have  never  been  able  to  find  anything  oijier  than 
pure  wax  composing  it.  After  a  young  bee  has 
matured  in  a  cell,  the  coating  or  cocoon  that  it  leaves 
is  of  a  dark  color,  somewhat  resembling  it,  and  may 
have  given  rise  to  the  supposition.  How  the  article 
is  obtained,  appears  to  be  the  mystery.  This  is  a  sub- 
ject about  which  apiarians  have  failed  to  agree.  A 
few  contend  that  it  is  an  elaborated  substance ;  while 
others  assert  it  to  be  a  resinous  gum,  exuding  from 
certain  trees,  and  collected  by  the  bees  like  pollen. 
It  differs  materially  from  wax,  being  more  tenacious, 
and  when  it  gets  a  little  age,  much  harder. 


PROPOLIS.  129 

IS   IT    AN    ELABORATK    OR    NATURAL.  SUBSTANCE  1 

No  modern  observer  has  ever  been  able  to  detect 
the  bees  in  the  act  of  gathering  it. 

huber's  opinion. 
Huber  tells  us,  that  "  near  the  outlet  of  one  of  his 
hives,  he  placed  some  of  the  branches  of  the  poplar, 
which  exudes  a  transparent  juice,  the  color  of  garnet. 
Several  workers  were  soon  seen  perched  upon  these 
branches, — having  detached  some  of  this  resinous 
gum,  they  formed  it  into  pellets,  and  deposited  them 
in  the  baskets  of  their  thighs  ;  thus  loaded,  they  flew 
to  the  hive,  where  some  of  their  fellow-laborers  in- 
stantly came  to  assist  them  in  detaching  this  viscid 
substance  from  their  baskets."  Some  of  our  modern 
apiarians  have  doubted  this  account  of  Huber's. 
Now,  in  the  absence  of  anything  positive  on  this  sub- 
ject, I  am  inclined  to  adopt  this  theory ;  that  it  is  a 
resin  or  gum  produced  by  trees.  (I  cannot  say  that  I 
am  exactly  satisfied  ^Yith  the  story  of  bringing  the 
"branches  and  laying  them  by  the  hive,"  &c.)  That 
becy  gather  it  in  its  natural  state,  is  in  accordance  with 
my  own  observation. 

further  proof. 
Our  first  swarms  that  issue  in  May,  or  first  of  June, 
seldom  use  much  of  the  article  pure  for  soldering  and 
plastering ;  but  instead,  a  composition,  the  most  of 
which  is  wax.  I  have  noticed  at  this  season,  when 
old  pieces  of  boards  that  had  been  used  for  hives, 
were  left  in  the  sun,  that  this  old  propolis  would 
become  soft  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Here  I  have 
frequently  seen  the  bees  at  work,  packing  it  upon  their 
6* 


130  PROPOLIS. 

legs ;  it  was  detached  in  small  particles,  and  the  pro- 
cess of  packing  was  seen  distinctly,  as  the  bee  did  not 
fly  during   the  operation,  as  in  the  case  of  packing 
pollen.     It  is  asserted  that  when  bees  need  it  they 
always  have  it,  indicating  that  they  can  elaborate  it 
like  wax.     I  can  see  no  reason  why  they  do  not  need 
it  in  June  as  much  as  August ;  yet,  in  the  latter  month, 
they  use  more  than  a  hundred  times  the  quantity. 
At  this  time,  they  manifest  no  disposition  to  gather 
any  from  the  old  boards,  &c.     It  would  seem  they 
prefer  the  article  new,  which  they  now  have  in  abun- 
dance.    Boxes  filled  in  June  contain  but  very  little, 
sometimes  none.     Why  not,  if  they  have  enough  of 
it?  but  when  filled  in  August,  they  always  have  the 
corners,  and  sometimes  the  top  and  sides,  lined  with 
a  good  coat.     Cracks,  large  enough  for  bees  to  pass 
through,  are  sometimes  completely  filled  with  it.     In 
this  season,  a  little  before  sunset  of  some  fair  day,  I 
have   frequently  seen  the  bees   enter  the   hive  with 
what  I  supposed  to  be  the  pure  article  on  their  legs, 
like  pollen,  except  the  surface,  which  would  be  smooth 
and  glossy  ;  the  color  much  lighter  than  when  it  gets 
age.     I  have  also  seen  them  through  the  glass  inside, 
when  they  seemed  unable  to  dislodge  it  themselves, 
like   pollen,   and    were   continually   running   around 
among  those  engaged  in  soldering   and  plastering; 
when  one  required  a  little,  it  seized  hold  of  the  pellet 
with   its   teeth  or   forceps,  and   detached   a   portion. 
The  whole  lump  will  not  cleave   off  at  once ;  but 
firmly  adheres  to  the  leg  ;  from  its  tenacity,  perhaps  a 
string  an  inch  long  will  be  formed  in  separating,  the 


PROPOLIS.  131 

piece  obtained  is  immediately  applied  to  their  work, 
and  the  bee  is  ready  to  supply  another  with  a  portion  ; 
it  doubtless  gets  rid  of  its  load  in  this  way  ;  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  watch  it  till  it  is  freed  from  the  whole,  as  it  is 
soon  lost  among  its  fellows.     Now  if  this  substance  is 
not  found  in  its  natural  state,  how  does  it  happen  that 
they  pack  it  on  their  legs  just  as  they  do  when  getting 
it  from  a  board  of  an  old  hive,  or  pollen,  when  col- 
lected ?  they  never  take  the  trouble  to  pack  the  wax 
there,  when  elaborated.     Do  not  these  circumstances 
strongly  favor  the  idea  of  its  being  a  vegetable  sub- 
stance ?     Perhaps  the  reason  of  its  being  collected  at 
this  season  in  greater  abundance,  may  be  found  in  the 
fact,  that  the  buds  of  trees  and  shrubs  are  now  gener- 
ally formed.     Many  kinds  are  protected  from  rain  and 
frost,  by  a  kind  of  gum  or  resinous  coating.     It  may 
be  found  in  many  species  of  Populus,  particularly  the 
balsam   poplar,  {Populus  Balsamifera)  and  the  Balm 
of  Gilead,  {Populus  Gandicans).     By  boiling  the  buds 
of  these  trees,  an  aromatic  resin  or  gum  may  be  ob- 
tained, (used  sometimes  for   making  salve  ;)  the  odor 
is  very  similar  to  that  emitted  by  propolis,  when  first 
gathered  by  tke  bees,  or  by  heating  it  afterwards.     In 
the  absence  of  facts,  we  are  apt  to  substitute  theory. 
This  appears  to  me  to  be  very  plausible.     Yet  I  am 
ready  to  yield  it  as  soon  as  facts  decide  differently. 
Perhaps  not  one  bee  in  a  thousand  is  engaged  in  col- 
lecting this  substance — there  being  so  few  may  be  one 
reason  why  they  are   not   often   detected,  yet  few  as 
they  are,  if  a  few  of  us  should  set   about  close  obser- 
vation,    something  certain   might  decide.     Apiarian 


132  SPRING. 

science  is  sadly  neglected ;  a  large  amount  of  error  is 
mixed  up  with  truth,  that  patient,  scrutinizing  inves- 
tigation must  separate. 

REMARKS. 

I  feel  anxious  to  get  to  the  practical  part  of  this 
work,  which  I  hope  will  interest  some  readers  who  care 
but  little  about  the  natural  history.  I  shall  begin  with 
spring,  and  will  now  endeavor  to  mix  more  of  the 
practical  with  it,  as  we  proceed  to  the  end  of  the  year. 
In  order  to  illustrate  some  points  of  practice,  I  may 
have  occasion  to  repeat  some  things  already  mentioned. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE   APIARY. 

ITS   LOCATION. 

In  the  location  of  the  apiary,  one  important  consid- 
eration is,  that  it  is  convenient  to  watch  in  the  swarm- 
ing season ;  that  the  bees  may  be  seen  at  any  time 
from  a  door  or  window,  when  a  swarm  rises,  without 
the  trouble  of  taking  many  steps  to  accomplish  it;  be- 
cause if  much  trouble  is  to  be  taken,  it  is  too  often 
neglected.  Also,  if  possible,  the  hives  should  stand 
where  the  wind  will  have  but  little  effect,  especially 
from  the  northwest.  If  no  hills  or  building  offer  a 
protection,  a  close,  high  board  fence  should  be  put  up 
for  the  purpose.  It  is  economy  to  do  it — bees  enough 
may  be  saved  to  pay  the  expense.  During  the  first 
spring  months,  the  stocks  contain  fewer  bees  than  at 
any  other  season.     It  is  then  that  a  numerous  family 


THE  APIARY.  133 

is  important,  for  the  purpose  of  creating  animal  heat 
to  rear  the  brood,  if  for  nothing  else.  One  bee  is  of 
more  consequence  now  than  a  half  dozen  in  midsum- 
mer. "When  the  hive  stands  in  a  bleak  place,  the  bees 
returning  with  heavy  loads,  in  a  high  wind,  are  fre- 
quently unable  to  strike  the  hive,  and  are  blown  to  the 
ground;  become  chilled,  and  die.  A  chilly  south  wind 
is  equally  fatal,  but  not  so  frequent.  When  protected 
from  winds,  the  hives  may  front  any  point  you  choose ; 
east  or  south  is  generally  preferred.  A  location  near 
ponds,  lakes,  large  rivers,  &c.,  will  be  attended  with 
some  loss.  Hard  winds  will  fatigue  the  bees  when  on 
the  wing,  often  causing  them  to  alight  in  the  water  j 
where  it  is  impossible  to  rise  again  until  wafted  ashore, 
and  then,  unless  in  very  warm  weather,  they  are 
so  chilled  as  to  be  past  the  effort.  I  do  not  mention 
this  to  discourage  any  one  from  keeping  them,  when 
so  situated,  because  some  few  must  keep  them  thus  or 
not  at  all.  I  am  so  situated  myself  There  is  a  pond 
of  four  acres,  some  twelve  rods  off.  In  spring,  during 
high  winds,  a  great  many  may  be  found  drowned,  and 
driven  on  shore.  Although  we  cannot  miss  so  few 
from  a  stock,  it  is  nevertheless  a  loss  as  far  as  it  goes. 

DECIDE    EARLY. 

Whatever  location  is  chosen,  it  should  be  decided 
upon  as  early  in  the  spring  as  possible ;  because,  when 
the  chilling  winds  of  winter  have  ceased  for  a  day,  and 
the  sun,  unobstructed,  is  sending  his  first  warm  rays 
to  a  frozen  earth,  the  bees  that  have  been  inactive  for 
months,  feel  the  cheering  influence,  and  come  forth 


134  SPRING. 

to  eDJoy  the  balmy  air.  As  they  come  from  their 
door,  they  pause  a  moment  to  rub  their  eyes,  which 
have  long  been  obscured  in  darkness, 

BEES    MARK    THEIR    LOCATION  ON  LEAVING  THE    HIVE. 

They  rise  on  the  wing,  but  do  not  leave  in  a  direct 
line,  but  immediately  turn  their  heads  towards  the  en- 
trance of  their  tenement,  describing  a  circle  of  only  a 
few  inches  at  first,  but  enlarge  as  they  recede,  until 
an  area  of  several  rods  have  been  viewed  and  marked. 

CHANGING    STAND    ATTENDED    WITH    LOSS. 

After  a  few  excursions,  when  surrounding  objects 
have  become  familiar,  this  precaution  is  not  taken,  and 
they  leave  in  a  direct  line  for  their  destination,  and  re- 
turn by  their  way -marks  without  difficulty,  Man  with 
his  reason  is  guided  on  the  same  principles.  There 
are  a  great  many  people  who  suppose  the  bee  knows 
its  hive  by  a  kind  of  instinct,  or  is  attracted  towards 
it,  like  the  steel  to  the  magnet.  At  least,  they  act  as 
if  they  did ;  as  they  often  move  their  bees  a  few  rods, 
or  feet,  after  the  location  is  thus  marked,  and  what  is 
the  consequence  ?  The  stocks  are  materially  injured 
by  loss  of  bees,  and  sometimes  entirely  ruined.  Let 
us  trace  the  cause.  As  I  remarked,  the  bees  have 
marked  the  location.  They  leave  the  hive  without 
any  precaution,  as  surrounding  objects  are  familiar. 
They  return  to  their  old  stand  and  find  no  home.  If 
there  is  more  than  one  stock,  and  the  removal  has 
been  from  four  to  twenty  feet,  some  of  the  bees  may 
find  a  hive,  but  just  as  liable  to  enter  the  wrong  one 


THE   APIARY.  135 

as  the  right.  Probably  they  would  not  go  over  twenty 
feet,  and  very  likely  not  that,  unless  the  new  situation 
was  very  conspicuous.  If  a  person  had  but  one  stock, 
very  likely  the  loss  would  be  less,  as  every  bee  finding 
a  hive,  would  be  sure  to  be  home,  and  none  killed,  as 
is  generally  the  case  when  a  few  enter  a  strange  hive. 

CAN     BE    TAKEN    SOME    DISTANCE. 

When  bees  are  taken  beyond  their  knowledge  of 
country,  some  two  miles  or  more,  the  case  seems  to  be 

DANGER    OF    SETTING    STOCKS    TOO    CLOSE. 

somewhat  different,  but  not  always  without  loss,  espe- 
cially if  many  hives  are  Set  4oo  close.  They  leave  the 
hive  of  course  without  knowing  that  the  situation  has 
been  changed;  perhaps  get  a  few  feet  before  strange 
objects  warn  them  of  the  fact.  When  they  return,  the 
immediate  vicinity  is  strange,  and  they  often  enter 
their  neighbors'  domicil.  A  case  in  point  occurred  in 
the  spring  of  '49.  I  sold  over  twenty  stocks  to  one 
person.  He  had  constructed  a  bee-house,  and  his  ar- 
rangement brought  the  hives  within  four  inches  of 
each  other.  The  result  was,  he  entirely  lost  several 
stocks  ;  some  of  them  were  the  best ;  others  were  ma- 
terially injured,  yet  he  had  a  few  made  better  by  the  ad- 
dition of  bees  from  other  hives ;  (sometimes  a  stock  will 
allow  strange  bees  to  unite  with  them,  but  it  is  seldom, 
unless  a  large  number  enters — it  is  safest  to  keep 
each  family  by  itself,  under  ordinary  circumstances). 
These  stocks,  before  they  were  moved,  had  been  col- 
lecting pollen,  and  had  their  location  well  marked' 


136  SPRING. 

Had  they  been  placed  six  feet  apart,  instead  of  four 
inches,  he  probably  would  not  have  lost  any,  or  even 
two  feet  might  have  saved  them.  I  have  often  moved 
them  at  this  season,  and  placed  them  at  three  feet  dis- 
tance, and  had  no  bad  results. 

Facts  like  the  foregoing,  satisfied  me  long  since  that 
stocks  should  occupy  their  situation  for  the  summer, 
as  early  as  possible  in  the  spring,  at  least  before  they 
mark  the  location ;  or  if  they  must  be  moved  after 
that,  let  it  be  nothing  short  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  and 
plenty  of  room  between  the  hives. 

SPACE  BETWEEN  HIVES. 

As  regards  the  distanc*^  between  hives  generally,  I 
would  say  let  it  be  as  great  as  convenience  will  allow. 
Want  of  room  makes  it  necessary  sometimes  to  set  them 
close  ;  where  such  necessity  exists,  if  the  hives  were 
dissimilar  in  color,  some  dark,  others  light,  alternately, 
it  would  greatly  assist  the  bees  in  knowing  their  own 
hive.  But  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  whenever 
economy  of  space  dictates  less  than  two  feet,  there  are 
often  bees  enough  lost  by  entering  the  wrong  hive, 
which,  if  saved,  would  pay  the  rent  of  a  small  addition 
to  a  garden,  or  bee-yard.  I  have  several  other  reasons 
to  offer  for  giving  plenty  of  room  between  hives,  which 
will  be  mentioned  hereafter. 

SMALL    MATTERS. 

The  reader  who  is  accustomed  to  doing  things  on 
gigantic  principles,  will  consider  this  long  "yarn" 
about  saving  a  few  bees  in  spring,  a    rather    small 


THE   APIAEY.  137 

affair,  and  so  it  is ;  yet  small  matters  must  be  attended 
to  if  we  succeed;  "  a  small  leak  will  sink  a  ship."  A 
grain  of  wheat  is  a  small  matter  ;  'tis  only  in  the  ag- 
gregate that  its  importance  is  manifest.  The  bee  is 
small,  the  load  of  honey  brought  home  by  it  is  still 
less,  and  the  quantity  secreted  in  the  nectary  of  each 
flower,  yet  more  minute.  The  patiept  bee  visits  each, 
and  obtains  but  a  tiny  morsel ;  by  perseverance  a  load 
is  obtained,  and  deposited  in  the  hive ;  it  is  only  by 
the  accumulation  of  such  loads  that  we  find  an  object 
worthy  our  notice :  here  is  a  lesson ;  look  to  little 
things,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  multiplied, 
and  preserved.  It  is  much  better  to  save  our  bees 
than  waste  them,  and  wait  for  others  to  be  raised ; 
"  a  penny  saved  is  worth  two-pence  earned."  If  a 
stock  is  lost  by  small  means,  a  corresponding  effort  is 
only  necessary  to  save  it.  This  trifling  care  is  some- 
times neglected  through  indolence.  But  I  hope  for 
better  things  generally  ;  I  am  willing  to  believe  it  is 
thorough  ignorance,  not  knowing  what  kind  of  care 
is  necessary — how,  when,  and  where  to  bestow  it. 
This  is  what  now  appears  to  be  my  duty  to  tell.  You 
will  now  sufl&ciently  understand  the  cause  of  loss  on 
this  point ;  therefore,  let  it  be  a  rule  to  have  all  ready 
in  spring,  before  the  bees  leave  their  hives — the  stands, 
bee-house,  etc.,  and  not  change  them. 


If  we  keep  bees  for  ornament,  it  would  be  well  to 
build  a  bee-house,  paint  the  hives,  &c. ;  but  as  I  ex- 
pect the  majority  of  readers  will  be  interested  in  the 


138  SPRING. 

profit  of  the  thing,  I  will  say  that  the  bees  will  not 
pay  a  cent  towards  extra  expenses;  they  will  not  do 
a  whit  more  labor  in  a  painted  house,  than  if  it  was 
thatched  with  straw.  When  profit  is  the  only  object, 
economy  would  dictate  that  labor  shall  be  bestowed 
only  where  there  will  be  a  remuneration. 

CHEAP    ARRANGEMENT    OF    STANDS. 

So  many  kinds  of  bee-houses  and  stands  have  been 
recommended — all  so  different  from  what  I  prefer, 
that  I  perhaps  ought  to  feel  some  hesitancy  in  offering 
one  so  cheap  and  simple;  but  as  profit  is  my  object,  I 
shall  offer  no  other  apology.  I  have  fifteen  years'  ex- 
perience to  prove  its  efficacy,  and  have  no  fears  on 
this  score  in  recommending  it.  I  make  stands  in  this 
way  :  a  board  about  fifteen  inches  wide  is  cut  off  two 
feet  long;  a  piece  of  chestnut  or  other  wood,  two  inches 
square,  is  nailed  on  each  end ;  this  raises  the  board 
just  two  inches  from  the  earth,  and  will  project  in 
front  of  the  hive  some  ten  inches,  making  it  admirably 
convenient  for  the  bees  to  alight  before  entering  the 
hive,  (when  the  grass  and  weeds  are  kept  down,  which 
is  but  little  trouble).  A  separate  piece  for  each  hive 
is  better  than  to  have  several  on  a  bench  together,  as 
there  can  then  be  no  communication  by  bees  running 
to  and  fro.  Also  we  are  apt  to  give  more  room  be- 
tween them  ;  and  a  board  or  plank  will  make  a  stand 
for  as  many  stocks  when  cut  in  pieces,  as  if  '.eft  whole; 
(and  it  ought  to  make  more). 


THE   APIARY.  139 

CANAL  BOTTOM-BOARD    DISCARDED. 

1  used  what  is  termed  a  canal  bottom-board,  until  I 
found  out  it  did  not  pay  expense,  and  have  now  dis- 
carded it,  and  succeed  just  as  well.  It  is  generally  re- 
commended as  a  preventive  of  robberies,  and  keep- 
ing out  the  moth.  It  may  prevent  one  hive  in  fifty 
from  being  robbed ;  but  as  for  keeping  out  the  moth, 
it  is  about  as  good  an  assistant  for  it  as  can  be  con- 
trived. It  is  a  place  of  great  convenience  for  the  worms 
to  spin  their  cocoons,  and  some  ingenuity  of  the  apia- 
rian is  requisite  to  get  at  them. 

SOME    ADVANTAGE    IN    BEING    NEAR    THE    EARTH. 

I  am  aware  that  I  go  counter  to  most  apiarians,  in 
recommending  the  stands  so  near  the  earth ;  less  than 
two  or  three  feet  between  the  bees  and  the  earth,  it  is 
said,  will  not  answer  any  way.  Mr.  Miner  is  very  po- 
sitive on  this  point,  in  his  Manual.  I  ventured  to  sug- 
gest to  him,  that  there  was  more  against  it  in  theory, 
than  in  practice,  and  gave  him  my  experience.  In 
less  than  two  years  from  that  time  I  visited  him,  and 
found  his  bees  close  to  the  earth.  Experience  is  worth 
a  dozen  theories  ;  in  fact,  it  is  the  only  test  to  be  de- 
pended upon.  I  shall  not  urge  the  adoption  of  any 
rule,  that  I  have  not  proved  by  my  own  practice.  The 
objection  raised,  is  dampness  from  the  earth,  when  too 
near ;  I  am  unable  to  perceive  the  least  bad  effect. 
Now  let  us  compare  advantages  and  disadvantages  a 
little  farther.  One  hive  or  a  row  of  hives  suspended, 
or  standing  on  a  bench,  two  or  three  feet  from  the  earth, 
when  approached  by  the  bees  on  a  chilly  afternoon, 


140  SPRING. 

(and  we  have  many  such  in  spring,)  towards  evening, 
even  if  there  is  not  much  wind,  they  are  very  apt  to 
miss  the  hive  and  bottom,  and  fall  to  the  ground,  so 
benumbed  with  cold,  as  to  be  unable  to  rise  again,  and 
by  the  next  morning  are  "no  use"  whatever.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  they  are  near  the  earth,  with  a  board  as 
described,  there  is  no  possihility  of  their  alighting  under 
the  hive,  and  if  they  should  come  short,  and  get  on  the 
ground,  they  can  always  creep,  long  after  they  are  too 
cold  to  fly,  and  are  able,  and  often  do  enter  the  hive 
without  the  necessity  of  using  their  wings. 

Enough  may  be  saved  in  one  spring,  from  a  few 
hives,  in  this  way,  to  make  a  good  swarm,  which  taken 
from  several  is  not  perceived;  yet,  as  much  profit 
from  them  might  be  realized,  as  if  they  were  a  swarm 
by  themselves.  A  little  contrivance  is  all  that  is  need- 
ed to  save  them.  To  such  as  miist  and  will  have  them 
up  away  from  the  earth,  I  would  say,  do  suggest  some 
plan  to  save  this  portion  of  your  best  and  most  willing 
servants;  have  an  alighting  board  project  in  front  of 
the  hive  at  least  one  foot,  or  a  board  long  enough  to 
reach  from  the  bottom  of  the  hive  to  the  ground,  that 
they  may  get  on  that,  and  crawd  up  to  the  hive.  Do 
you  want  the  inducement?  Examine  minutely  the 
earth  about  your  hives,  towards  sunset,  some  day  in 
April,  when  the  day  has  been  fair,  with  some  wind,  and 
chilly  towards  night,  and  you  will  be  astonished  at  the 
numbers  that  perish.  Most  of  them  will  be  loaded 
with  pollen,  proving  them  martyrs  to  their  own  indus- 
try and  your  negligence.  When  I  see  a  bench  three 
feet  high  and  no  wider  than  the  bottom  of  the  hive, 


THE   APIARY.  141 

perhaps  a  little  less,  and  no  place  for  the  bees  to  enter 
but  at  the  bottom,  and  as  many  hives  crowded  on  as 
it  will  hold,  I  no  longer  wonder  that  "  bee-keeping  is 
all  in  luck  ;"  the  wonder  is  how  they  keep  them  at  alL 
Yet  it  proves  that,  Avith  proper  management,  it  is  not 
so  very  precarious  after  all. 

The  necessary  protection  from  the  weather,  for 
stocks,  is  a  subject  that  I  have  taken  some  pains  to  as- 
certain ;  the  result  has  been,  that  the  cheapest  cover- 
ing is  just  as  good  as  any ;  something  to  keep  the  rain 
and  rays  of  the  sun  from  the  top,  is  all  sufl&cient. 
Covers  for  each  hive,  like  the  bottom-board,  should  be 
separate,  and  some  larger  than  the  top. 

UTILITT  OF  BEE-HOUSES  DOUBTED. 

I  have  used  bee-houses,  but  they  will  not  pay,  and 
are  also  discarded.  They  are  objectionable  on  account 
of  pieventing  a  free  circulation  of  air ;  also,  it  is  difficult 
to  construct  them,  so  that  the  sun  may  strike  the  hives 
both  in  the  morning  and  afternoon ;  which  in  spring 
is  very  essential.  If  they  front  the  south,  the  middle 
of  the  day  is  the  jnly  time  when  the  sun  can  reach 
all  the  hives  at  once  ;  this  is  just  when  they  need  it 
least;  and  in  hot  weather,  sometimes  injurious  by 
melting  the  combs.  But  when  the  hives  stand  far 
enough  apart,  on  mj  plan,  it  is  very  easily  arranged 
to  have  the  sun  strike  the  hive  in  the  mornins-  and 
afternoon,  and  shaded  from  ten  o'clock,  till  two  or  three, 
in  hot  weather. 

Notwithstanding  our  prodigality  in  building  a  splen- 
did bee-house,  we  think  of  economv  when  we  come  to 


142  SPRING. 

put  our  hives  in,  and  get  them  fco  close.  "  Can't 
afford  to  build  a  house,  and  give  them  so  much  room, 
no  how." 


CHAPTEE    YIII. 

ROBBERIES. 

EoBBiNG  is  another  source  of  occasional  loss  to  the 
apiarian.  It  is  frequent  in  spring,  and  at  any  time  in 
warm  weather  when  honey  is  scarce.  It  is  very  an- 
noying, and  sometimes  gets  neighbors  in  contention, 
when  perhaps  neither  is  to  blame,  farther  than  igno- 
rance of  the  matter. 

KOT    PROPERLY    UNDERSTOOD. 

A  person  keeping  many  hives  must  expect  to  be 
accountable  for  all  losses  in  his  neighborhood,  whether 
they  are  lost  by  mismanagement  or  want  of  manage- 
ment. Many  people  suppose,  if  one  person  has  but 
one  stock,  and  another  has  ten,  that  the  ten  will  com- 
bine for  plundering  the  one.  There  are  no  facts, 
showing  any  communication  between  different  families 
of  the  same  apiary,  that  I  can  discover.  It  is  true, 
when  one  family  finds  another  weak  and  defenceless, 
possessing  treasure,  they  have  no  conscientious  scru- 
ples about  carrying  off  the  last  particle.  The  hurry 
and  bustle  attending  it  seldom  escape  the  notice  of 
the  other  families ;  and  when  one  hive  has  been 
robbed  in  an  apiary,  perhaps  two-thirds  of  the  other 


ROBBERIES.  143 

families,  sometimes  all,  have  participated  in  the  plunder. 
One  family,  if  it  be  large,  is  just  as  likely,  and  more 
so,  to  find  a  weak  one  among  the  ten,  and  commence 
plundering,  as  the  other  way. 

IMPROPER    REMEDIES. 

Notwithstanding  it  is  common  to  hear  remarks  like 
this,  "  I  had  a  first-rate  hive  of  bees,"  (when  the  fact 
was  he  had  not  looked  particularly  at  his  bees  for  a 
month,  to  know  whether  it  was  so  or  not,  and  if  he 
had,  very  likely  would  not  know,)  "  and  Mr.  A.'s  bees 
began  to  rob  them.  I  tried  every  thing  to  stop  it ;  I 
moved  them  around  in  several  places  to  prevent  their 
finding  the  hive.  It  did  no  good ;  the  first  I  knew 
they  were  all  gone — bees,  honey,  and  all !  The  bees 
all  joined  the  robbers."  Now  the  fact  is,  that  not  one 
good  stock  of  bees  in  fifty,  will  ever  be  robbed,  if  let 
alone;  that  is,  if  the  entrance  is  properly  protected. 
This  moving  the  hive  was  enough  to  ruin  any  stock ; 
bees  were  lost  at  every  change,  until  nothing  was  left 
but  honey  to  tempt  the  robbers ;  whereas,  if  left  on 
its  stand,  it  might  have  escaped. 

A  great  many  remedies  have  been  given  me  gratis, 
which,  had  one-half  been  followed,  would  have  ruined 
them.  The  fact  is,  with  many  people,  the  remedies 
are  often  the  cause  of  the  disease.  The  most  fatal  is, 
to  move  them  a  few  rods ;  another,  to  close  the  hive 
entirely,  (very  liable  to  smother  them) ;  or,  break  out 
some  comb  and  set  the  honey  to  running.  There  are 
some  charms  that  affect  them  but  little  any  way. 
Probably  there  are  but  few  bee-keepers  able  to  tell  at 


144  SPRING. 

once,  when  oees  are  being  robbed.     It  requires  the  closest 
scrutinizing  observation  to  decide. 

DIFFICULXr    IN    DECIDING. 

There  is  nothing  about  the  apiary  more  difficult 
to  determine,  nothing  more  likely  than  to  be  deceived. 
It  is  generally  supposed,  when  a  number  are  outside 
lighting,  that  it  is  conclusive  that  they  are  also  rob- 
bing, which  is  seldom  the  case.  On  the  contrary,  a 
show  of  resistance  indicates  a  strong  colony,  and  that 
they  are  disposed  to  defend  their  treasures.  I  no 
longer  have  any  fears  for  a  stock  that  has  courage  to 
repel  an  attack, 

WEAK    FAMILIES    IN    MOST    DANGER. 

It  is  weak  families,  that  show  no  resistance,  where 
we  find  the  most  danger.  In  seasons  of  scarcity,  all 
good  stocks  maintain  or  keep  sentinels  about  the 
entrance,  whose  duty  it  appears  to  be  to  examine 
every  bee  that  attempts  to  enter.  If  it  is  a  member 
of  the  community,  it  is  allowed  to  pass ;  if  not,  it  is 
examined  on  the  spot.  It  would  seem  that  a  pass- 
word was  requisite  for  admittance,  for  no  sooner  does 
a  stranger-bee  endeavor  to  get  in,  than  it  is  known. 
If  without  necessary  credentials,  there  is  evidence 
enough  against  it.  Each  bee  is  a  qualified  jurist, 
judge,  and  executioner.  There  is  no  delay  ;  no  wait- 
ing for  witnesses  for  defence.  The  more  a  bee  attempts 
to  escape,  the  more  likely  it  will  be  to  receive  a  sting, 
unless  it  succeeds.  How  strange  bees  are  known, 
would  be  nothing  but  theory,  if  I  should  attempt  to 
explain.     Let  it  suffice  that  they  are  known. 


ROBBERIES.  145 

THEIR    BATTLES. 

I  vnl\  here  describe  some  of  their  battles.  I  have 
in  the  spring  frequently  seen  the  whole  front  side  of 
the  hive  covered  with  the  combatants,  (but  for  such 
hives  I  have  no  fears;  they  are  able  to  defend  them- 
selves.) Several  will  surround  one  stranger  ;  one  or 
two  will  bite  its  legs,  another  the  wings ;  another  will 
make  a  feint  of  stinging,  while  another  is  ready  to 
take  what  honey  it  has,  when  worried  sufficient  to 
make  it  willing.  It  is  sometimes  allowed  to  go  after 
yielding  all  its  honey,  but  at  others,  is  dispatched  with 
a  sting,  which  is  almost  instantly  fatal.  A  bee  is 
killed  sooner  by  a  sting,  than  by  any  other  means, 
except  crushing.  Sometimes  a  leg  will  tremble,  for  a 
minute  ;  the  legs  are  drawn  close  to  the  body ;  the 
abdomen  contracts  to  half  its  usual  size,  unless  filled 
with  honey.  I  have  known  a  pint  accidentally  to 
enter  a  neighboring  stock,  and  be  killed  in  five 
minutes.  The  only  places  the  sting  will  penetrate  a 
bee  are  the  joints  of  the  abdomen,  legs,  the  neck,  &c. 
I  have  occasionally  seen  one  bee  drag  about  the  dead 
body  of  its  victim,  being  unable  to  withdraw  its  sting 
from  a  joint  in  the  leg.  During  the  fight,  if  it  be  to 
keep  off  those  in  search  of  plunder,  a  few  bees  may 
be  seen  buzzing  around  in  search  of  a  place  unguarded 
to  enter  the  hive.  If  such  is  found,  it  alights  and 
enters  in  a  moment.  At  other  times,  when  about  to 
enter,  it  meets  a  soldier  on  duty,  and  is  on  the  wing 
again  in  an  instant.  But  another  time  it  may  be  more 
unfortunate,  and  be  nabbed  by  a  policeman,  when  it 
7 


146  SPRING. 

must  either  break  away,  or  suffer  the  penalty  of  insect 
justice,  which  is  generally  of  the  utmost  severity. 

BAD    POLICY    TO    RAISE    THE    HIVES. 

A  great  many  apiarians  raise  their  hives  an  inch 
from  the  board  early  in  spiing.  They  seem  to  disre- 
gard the  chance  it  gives  robbers  to  enter  on  every 
side.  It  is  like  setting  the  door  of  your  own  house 
open,  to  tempt  the  thief,  and  then  complain  of  de- 
pravity. 

Let  it  be  understood,  then,  that  all  good  stocks, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  will  take  care  of  them- 
selves. Nature  has  provided  means  of  defence,  with 
instinct  to  direct  its  use.  Non-resistance  may  do  for 
highly  cultivated  intellect  in  man,  but  not  here. 

INDICATIONS    OF    ROBBERS. 

We  will  now  notice  the  appearance  about  a  weak 
hive  that  makes  no  resistance,  and  show  the  result  to 
be  a  total  loss  of  the  stock,  without  timely  interfer- 
ence. Each  robber,  when  leaving  the  hive,  instead  of 
flying  in  a  direct  line  to  its  home,  will  turn  its  head 
towards  the  hive  to  mark  the  spot,  that  it  may  know 
where  to  return  for  another  load,  in  the  same  manner 
that  they  do  when  leaving  their  hive  in  the  spring. 
The  first  time  the  young  bees  leave  home,  they  mark 
their  location,  by  the  same  process.  A  few  of  these 
begin  to  hatch  from  the  cells  very  early ;  in  all  good 
stocks,  often  before  the  weather  is  warm  enough  for 
any  to  leave  the  hive.  Consequently,  it  cannot  be  too 
early  for  them  at  any  time  in  spring.     These  young 


ROBBERIES.  147 

bees,  about  the  middle  of  each  fair  day,  or  a  iittle 
later,  take  a  turn  of  flying  out  very  thickly  for  a  short 
time.  The  inexperienced  observer  would  be  very 
likely  to  suppose  such  stock  very  prosperous,  from 
the  number  of  inhabitants  in  motion.  This  unusual 
bustle  is  the  first  indication  of  foul  play,  and  should 
be  regarded  with  suspicion ;  yet  it  is  not  conclusive. 


It  is  the  duty  of  every  bee-keeper,  who  expects  to 
succeed,  to  know  which  his  weak  stocks  are ;  an  ex- 
amination some  cool  morning,  can  be  made  by  turning 
the  hive  bottom  up,  and  letting  the  sun  among  the 
combs.  The  number  of  inhabitants  in  them  is  easily 
seen.  When  weak,  close  the  entrance,  till  there  is 
just  room  for  one  bee  to  pass  at  once.  The  first  real 
pleasant  days,  at  any  time  before  honey  is  obtained 
plentifully,  a  little  after  noon,  look  out  for  them  to 
commence  robbing.  Whenever  a  weak  stock  is  taken 
with  what  appears  to  be  a  fit  of  unusual  industry,  it 
is  quite  cei'tain  they  are  either  robbers  or  young  bees ; 
the  dif&culty  is  to  decide  which.  Their  motions  are 
alike,  but  there  is  a  little  difference  in  color — the 
young  bees  are  a  shade  lighter ;  the  abdomen  of  the 
robbers,  when  filled  with  honey,  is  a  little  larger. 
It  requires  close,  patient  observation,  to  decide  this 
point,  and  when  you  have  watched  close  enough  to 
detect  this  difference,  you  can  decide  without  trouble. 


But  while  you  are  learning  this  nice  distinction} 


148  SPRING. 

your  bees  may  be  ruined.     We  will,  therefore,  give 
some  other  means  of  protection. 

Bees,  when  they  have  been  stealing  a  sack  of  honey 
from  a  neighboring  hive,  will  generally  run  several 
inches  from  the  entrance  before  flying :  kill  some  of 
these  ;  if  filled  with  honey,  they  are  robbers;  because 
it  is  very  suspicious,  to  be  filled  with  honey  when 
leaving  the  hive ;  or  sprinkle  some  flour  on  them  as 
they  come  out,  and  have  some  one  watch  by  the  others 
to  see  if  they  enter.  Another  way  is  less  trouble, 
but  will  take  longer,  before  they  are  checked,  if  rob- 
bing. Visit  them  again  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour 
or  more,  after  the  young  bees  have  had  time  to  get 
back,  (if  it  should  happen  to  be  them) ;  but  if  the 
bustle  continues  or  increases,  it  is  time  to  interfere. 
When  the  entrance  has  been  contracted  as  directed, 
close  it  entirely  till  near  sunset.  When  it  has  been  left 
without,  it  should  now  be  done,  (giving  room  for  only 
one  bee  at  a  time).  This  will  allow  all  that  belong 
to  the  hive  to  get  in,  and  others  to  get  out,  and  mate- 
rially retard  the  progress  of  the  robbers. 

ROBBING    USUALLY    COMMENCES    ON    A    WARM    DAY. 

Unless  it  should  be  cool,  they  will  continue  their 
operations  till  evening.  Very  often  some  are  unable 
to  get  home  in  the  dark,  and  are  lost.  This,  by  the 
way,  is  another  good  test  of  robbing.  Visit  the  hives 
every  warm  evening.  They  commence  depredations 
on  the  warmest  days ;  seldom  otherwise.  If  any  are 
at  work  when  honest  laborers  should  be  at  home,  they 
need  attention. 


ROBBERIES.  149 

RKMEDIES. 

As  for  remedies,  I  have  tried  several.  The  least 
trouble  is  to  remove  the  weak  hive  in  the  morning  to 
the  cellar,  or  some  dark,  cool  place,  for  a  few  days, 
until  at  least  two  or  three  warm  days  have  passed,  that 
they  may  abandon  the  search.  The  robbers  will 
then  probably  attack  the  stock  on  the  next  stand. 
Contract  the  entrance  of  this  in  accordance  with  the 
number  of  bees  that  are  to  pass.  If  strong,  no  danger 
need  be  apprehended ;  they  may  fight  ,and  even  kill 
some ;  perhaps  a  little  chastisement  is  necessary,  to 
a  sense  of  their  duty. 

COMMON  OPINION. 

There  is  an  opinion  prevalent  that  robbers  often  go 
to  a  neighboring  stock,  kill  off  the  bees  first,  and  then 
take  possession  of  the  treasures.  To  corroborate  this 
matter,  I  have  never  yet  discovered  one  fact,  although 
I  have  watched  very  closely.  Whenever  bees  have 
had  all  their  stores  taken,  at  a  period  when  nothing 
was  to  be  had  in  the  flowers,  it  is  evident  they  must 
starve,  and  last  but  a  day  or  two  before  they  are  gone. 
This  would  naturally  give  rise  to  the  supposition  that 
they  were  either  killed,  or  gone  with  the  robbers. 

A  CASE  IN  POINT. 

I  have  a  Case  in  point.  Having  been  from  home  a 
couple  of  days,  I  found,  on  my  return,  a  swarm  of  me 
dium  strength,  that  had  been  carelessly  exposed,  had 
been  plundered  of  about  fifteen    pounds   of  honey, 


150  SPRING. 

every  particle  they  had,*  About  the  usual  number 
of  bees  were  among  the  combs,  to  all  appearance,  very 
disconsolate.  1  at  once  removed  them  to  the  cellar, 
and  fed  them  for  a  few  days.  The  other  bees  gave 
over  looking  for  more  plunder,  in  the  meantime.  It 
was  then  returned  to  the  stand,  entrance  nearly  closed, 
as  directed,  &c.  In  a  short  time  it  made  a  valuable 
stock ;  but  had  I  left  it  twenty-four  hours  longer,  it 
probably  would  not  have  been  worth  a  straw. 

FURTHER    DIRECTIONS. 

When  a  stock  has  been  removed,  if  the  next  stand 
contains  a  weak,  instead  of  a  strong  one,  it  is  best  to 
take  that  in  also  ;  to  be  returned  to  the  stand  as  soon 
as  the  robbers  will  allow  it.  If  a  second  attack  is 
made,  put  them  in  again,  or  if  practicable,  remove 
them  a  mile  or  two  out  of  their  knowledge  of  coun- 
try ;  they  would  then  lose  no  time  from  labor.  Where 
but  few  stocks  are  kept,  and  not  more  than  one  or  two 
stocks  are  engaged,  sprinkle  a  little  flour  on  them  as 
they  leave,  to  ascertain  which  the  robbers  are;  then 
reverse  the  hives,  putting  the  weak  one  in  the  place 
of  the  strong,  and  the  strong  one  in  the  place  of  the 
weak  one.  The  weak  stock  will  generally  become  the 
strongest,  and  put  a  stop  to  their  operations ;  but  this 
method  is  often  impracticable  in  a  large  apiary  ; 
because  several  stocks  are  usually  engaged,  very  soon 
after  one  commences,  and  a  dozen  may  be  robbing 
one.  Another  method  is,  when  you  are  sure  a  stock 
is  being  robbed,  take  a  time  when  there  are  as  many 

*  It  occurred  the  last  of  July. 


ROBBERIES.  161 

plunderers  inside  as  you  can  get,  and  close  the  hive  at 
once,  (wire-cloth,  or  something  to  admit  air,  and 
at  the  same  time  confine  the  bees,  is  necessary  ;)  carry 
in^  as  before  directed,  for  two  or  three  days,  when 
they  may  be  set  out.  The  strange  bees  thus  enclosed 
will  join  the  weak  family,  and  wull  be  as  eager  to  de- 
fend what  is  now  their  treasure,  as  they  were  before 
to  carry  it  off.  This  principle  of  forgetting  home  and 
uniting  with  others,  after  a  lapse  of  a  few  days, 
(writers  say,  twenty-four  hours  is  sufficient  for  them 
to  forget  home)  can  be  recommended  in  this  case.  It 
succeeds  about  four  times  in  five,  when  a  proper  num- 
ber is  enclosed.  Weak  stocks  are  strengthened  in 
this  way  very  easily  ;  and  the  bees  being  taken  fi:"om 
a  number  of  hives,  are  hardly  missed.  The  difficulty 
is,  to  know  when  there  are  enough  to  be  about  equal, 
to  w^hat  belongs  to  the  weak  stock  ;  if  too  few  are  en 
closed,  they  are  surely  destroyed. 

COMMOX    CAUSE    OF    COMMENCING. 

After  all,  bees  being  robbed  is  like  being  destroyed 
by  worms ;  a  kind  of  secondary  matter ;  that  is,  not 
one  strong  stock  in  a  hundred  will  ever  be  attacked 
and  plundered  on  the  first  onset.  Bees  must  be  first 
tempted,  and  rendered  furious  by  a  weak  hive  ;  a  dish 
of  refuse  honey  set  near  them  is  sometimes  sufficient 
to  set  them  at  work,  also  where  they  have  been  fed 
and  not  had  a  full  supply.  After  they  have  once 
commenced,  it  takes  an  astonishing  quantity  to  satiate 
their  appetite.  They  seem  to  be  perfectly  intoxicated, 
and  regardless  of  danger ;  they  venture  on  to  certain 


152  SPRING, 

destruction  !  I  have  known  a  few  instances  where 
good  stocks  by  this  means  were  reduced,  until  they  in 
turn  fell  a  prey  to  others.  I  have  for  several  years 
kept  about  one  hundred  stocks  away  from  home, 
where  I  could  not  see  them  much,  to  prevent  robbing. 
Yet  I  never  lost  a  stock  by  this  cause.  I  simply 
keep  the  entrance  closed,  except  a  passage  for  the  bees 
at  work  during  spring.  It  is  true  I  have  lost  a  few 
stocks,  when  the  other  bees  took  the  honey,  but  they 
would  have  been  lost  any  way. 

SPRING    THE    WORST    TIME. 

As  I  before  remarked  in  the  commencement  of  this 
chapter,  bees  will  plunder  and  fight  at  any  time 
through  the  summer,  when  honey  cannot  be  collected  ; 
but  spring  is  the  only  time  that  such  desperate  and 
persevering  efforts  are  made  to  obtain  it.  It  is  the 
only  time  the  apiarian  can  be  excused  for  having  his 
hives  plundered,  or  letting  them  stand  in  a  situation 
for  it.  We  then  often  have  families  reduced  in 
winter  and  spring,  from  various  causes,  and  when 
protected  through  this  season,  generally  make  good 
stocks.  It  is  then  we  wish  them  to  form  steady,  in- 
dustrious habits,  and  not  live  by  plunder.  Prevention 
is  better  than  cure  ;  evil  propensities  should  be 
checked  in  the  beginning.  The  bee,  like  man,  when 
this  disposition  has  been  indulged  for  a  time,  it  is  hard 
breaking  the  habit ;  a  severe  chastisement  is  the  only 
cure ;  they  too  go  on  the  principle  of  much  wanting 
more. 


ROBBERIES.  153 

NO     NECESSITY    TO    HAVE    THE    BEES    PLUKDERED    IN   THE   FALL. 

The  apiarian  having  his  bees  plundered  in  the  fall, 
is  not  fit  to  have  charge  of  them ;  their  efforts  are 
seldom  as  strong  as  in  spring,  (unless  there  is  a  general 
scarcity,)  the  weak  hives  are  usually  better  supplied 
with  bees,  and  consequently  a  less  number  is  exposed ; 
but  yet,  when  there  are  some  very  weak  families, 
these  should  be  taken  away  as  soon  as  the  flowers  fail, 
or  strengthened  with  bees  from  another  hive.  Par- 
ticulars in  fall  management. 

I  have  sometimes  made  my  swarms  equal,  early  in 
spring,  by  the  following  method,  and  I  have  also 
failed.  Bees,  when  wintered  together  in  a  room,  will 
seldom  quarrel  when  first  set  out.  When  one  stock 
has  an  over  supply  of  bees,  and  another  a  very  few,  the 
next  day  or  two  after  being  out,  I  change  the  weak 
one  to  the  stand  of  the  strong  one,  (as  mentioned  a 
page  or  two  back,)  and  all  bees  that  have  marked  the 
location  return  to  that  place.  The  failure  is,  when  too 
many  leave  the  strong  stock,  making  that  the  weak 
one,  when  nothing  is  gained.  If  it  could  be  done 
when  they  had  been  out  of  the  house  just  long  enough 
for  the  proper  number  to  have  marked  the  location, 
success  would  be  quite  certain.  But  before  an  exr 
change  of  this  kind  is  made,  it  would  be  well,  if  pos- 
sible, to  ascertain  what  is  the  cause  of  a  stock  being 
weak ;  if  it  is  from  the  loss  of  a  queen,  (which  is 
sometimes  the  case,)  we  only  make  the  matter  worse 
by  the  operation.  To  ascertain  whether  the  queen  be 
present,  do  not  depend  on  the  bees  carrying  in  pollen ; 
7* 


154  SPRING. 

as  most  writers  assert  they  will  not,  when  the  queen 
is  gone ;  because  I  have  known  them  do  it  so  many- 
times  without,  that  I  can  assure  the  reader  again,  it  is 
no  test  whatever.  The  test  given  in  chapter  III.  page 
73,  is  always  certain. 

CHAPTEE  IX. 

FEEDING. 
SHOULD  BE  A  LAST   RESORT. 

Feeding  bees  in  spring  is  sometimes  absolutely 
necessary  ;  but  in  ordinary  seasons  and  circumstances, 
it  is  somewhat  doubtful  if  it  is  the  surest  road  to  suc- 
cess, for  the  apiarian  to  attempt  wintering  any  stock 
so  poorly  supplied  with  honey,  that  he  feels  satisfied 
will  need  feeding  in  the  spring  or  before.  I  will  re- 
commend in  another  place  (in  fall  management)  what 
I  consider  a  better  disposition  of  such  light  families. 
But  as  some  stocks  are  either  robbed,  or  from  some 
other  cause,  consume  more  honey  than  we  expect,  a 
little  trouble  and  care  may  save  a  loss.  Also  bees  are 
often  fed  at  this  season  to  promote  early  swarming, 
and  filling  boxes  with  surplus  honey. 

CARE  NEEDED. 

Considerable  care  is  requisite,  and  but  few  know  how 
to  manage  it  properly.  Honey  fed  to  bees,  is  almost 
certain  to  get  up  quarrels  among  them.  Sometimes 
strong  stocks  scent  the  honey  given  to  weak  ones,  and 
carry  it  off  as  fast  as  supplied. 


FEEDING.  155 

APPARENT  CONTRADICTION  WHEN  FEEDING  CAUSING  STARVATION. 

It  is  possible  that  feeding  a  stock  of  bees  in  spring, 
may  cause  them  to  starve  !  whereas,  if  let  alone,  they 
might  escape.  Notwithstanding  this  looks  like  a  con- 
tradiction, I  think  it  appears  reasonable.  Whenever 
the  supply  of  honey  is  short,  probably  not  more  than 
one  egg  in  twenty  which  the  queen  deposits,  will  be 
matured — their  means  not  allowing  the  young  brood  to 
be  fed.  This  appears  from  the  fact  that  several  eggs 
may  be  found  in  one  cell.  I  transferred  over  twenty 
stocks  in  March,  1852 — most  of  the  cells  occupied  with 
eggs  contained  a  plurality ;  two,  three,  and  even  four, 
were  found  in  one  cell ;  it  is  evident  that  all  could  not 
be  perfected.  Also,  the  fact  of  these  eggs  being  at  this 
season  on  the  bottom-board.  Now  suppose  you  give 
such  a  stock  two  or  three  pounds  of  honey,  and  they 
are  encouraged  to  feed  a  large  brood,  and  your  supply 
fails  before  they  are  half  grown.  What  are  they  to 
do  ?  destroy  the  brood  and  lose  all  they  have  fed,  or 
draw  on  their  old  stores  for  a  small  quantity  to  help 
them  in  this  emergency,  and  trust  to  chance  for  them- 
selves? The  latter  alternative  will  probably  be  adopt- 
ed, and  then,  without  a  timely  intervention  of  favor- 
able weather,  the  bees  starve.  The  same  effect  is  some- 
times produced  by  the  changes  of  the  weather ;  a 
week  or  two  may  be  very  fine  and  bring  out  the  flow- 
ers in  abundance — a  sudden  change,  perhaps  frost, 
may  destroy  all  for  a  few  days.  This  makes  it  neces- 
sary to  use  considerable  vigilance,  as  these  turns  of 
cold  weather  (when  they  occur)  make  it  unsafe,  till 


16^  SPRING. 

white  clover  appears;  but  if  the  spring  is  favorable, 
there  is  bat  little  danger,  unless  thej  are  robbed.  K 
you  take  the  necessary  care  about  worms,  you  will 
know  which  are  light,  and  which  heavy,  unless  your 
hives  are  suspended;  even  then,  it  is  a  duty  to  know 
their  true  condition,  in  this  respect.  This  is  another 
advantage  of  the  simple  hive  ;  merely  raising  one  edge 
to  destroy  worms,  tells  you  something  about  the 
honey  on  hand.  To  be  very  exact,  the  hive  should 
be  weighed  when  ready  for  the  bees,  and  the  weight 
marked  on  it ;  by  weighing  at  any  time  after,  tells  at 
once  within  a  few  pounds  of  what  honey  there  is  on 
hand.  Some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  age  of 
the  combs,  the  quantity  of  brood,  &;c.  It  is  wrong  to 
begin  to  feed  without  being  prepared  to  continue  to 
do  so,  as  the  supply  must  be  kept  up  till  honey  is 
abundant. 

HOW  LONG  IT  WILL  DO  TO  WAIT  BEFORE  FEEDING. 

If  it  is  wished  to  wait  as  long  as  possible,  and  not 
lose  the  bees,  a  test  will  be  necessary  to  decide  how 
long  it  will  do  to  delay  feeding.  In  this  case,  strict 
attention  will  he  necessary ;  they  will  need  examination 
every  morning.  If  a  light  tap  on  the  hive  is  answered 
by  a  brisk,  lively  buzzing,  they  are  not  suffering  yet ; 
but  if  no  answer  is  returned  to  your  inquiry,  it  indi- 
cates a  want  of  strength.  Extreme  destitution  destroys 
all  disposition  to  repel  an  attack.  Sometimes  a  part 
of  the  bees  will  be  too  weak  to  remain  among  the 
combs,  and  will  be  lying  on  the  bottom,  and  some  few 


FEEDING.  167 

outside.     If  the  weather  is  cool,  they   appear   to  be 
lifeless;  yet  they  can  be  revived,  and  now  viust  he  fed. 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  FEEDING. 

Those  among  the  combs  may  be  able  to  move, 
though  feebly.  When  this  is  the  condition  of  things, 
invert  the  hive,  gather  up  all  the  scattered  bees,  and 
put  them  in.  Get  some  honey ;  if  candied,  heat  it  till 
it  dissolves;  comb  honey  is  not  so  good  without 
mashing;  if  no  honey  is  to  be  had,  brown  sugar  may 
be  taken  instead ;  add  a  little  water,  and  boil  it  till 
about  the  consistence  of  honey,  and  skim  it ;  when 
cool  enough,  pour  a  quantity  among  the  combs,  di- 
rectly on  the  bees ;  cover  the  bottom  of  the  hive  with 
a  cloth,  securing  it  firmly,  and  bring  to  the  fire  to 
warm  up.  In  two  or  three  hours  they  will  be  revived, 
and  may  be  returned  to  the  stand,  providing  the 
honey  given  is  all  taken  up ;  on  no  account  let  any 
honey  run  out  around  the  bottom.  The  necessity  of 
a  daily  visit  to  the  hives  is  apparent  from  tlie  fact,  that 
if  left  over  for  one  day,  in  the  situation  just  described, 
it  will  be  too  late  to  revive  them.  At  night,  if  you 
have  a  box  cover,  such  as  I  have  recommended,  you 
may  open  the  holes  in  the  top  of  the  hive ;  fill  a  small 
baking  dish  with  honey  or  syrup,  and  set  it  on  the  top  ; 
put  in  some  shavings  to  keep  the  bees  from  drowning, 
or  a  float  may  be  used  if  you  choose ;  it  should  be 
made  of  some  very  light  wood,  very  thin,  and  full  of 
holes  or  narrow  channels,  made  with  a  saw.  At  the 
commencement  of  feeding,  a  few  drops  should  be  scat- 


158  SPRING. 

tered  on  the  top  of  the  hive  and  trailed  to  the  side  of 
the  dish,  to  teach  them  the  way ;  after  feeding  a  few 
times,  they  will  know  the  road.  When  the  weather 
is  warm  enough  for  them  to  take  it  during  the  night, 
it  is  best  to  feed  at  evening, — from  four  to  eight  ounces 
daily,  is  sufficient.  If  the  family  is  very  small,  what 
honey  is  left  in  the  morning  may  attract  other  bees ; 
it  is  then  best  to  take  it  out,  or  carry  the  hive  in  the 
house  to  a  dark  room,  sufficiently  warm,  and  feed  them 
enough  to  last  several  days,  and  then  return  them  to 
the  stand  ;  keeping  a  good  lookout  that  they  are  not 
plundered,  and  again  in  a  starving  condition,  until 
flowers  produce  honey  sufficient. 

WHOLE  FAMILIES  MAY    DESERT    THE    HIVE. 

When  you  have  the  means  to  keep  up  a  supply  of 
food,  and  time  requisite  to  make  feeding  secure,  per- 
haps it  would  not  be  advisable  to  wait  till  the  last 
extremity  before  feeding,  as  a  small  family  will  some- 
times entirely  desert  the  hive,  when  destitute,  if  it  oc- 
curs before  they  have  much  brood.  In  these  cases,  they 
issue  precisely  as  a  swarm  ;  after  flying  a  long  time, 
they  either  return,  or  unite  with  some  other  stock. 
If  they  return,  they  need  attention  immediately.  You 
may  be  certain  there  is  something  wrong,  let  the  de- 
sertion take  place  when  it  may ;  in  spring  it  may  be 
destitution,  or  mouldy  combs ;  at  other  times  the 
presence  of  worms,  diseased  brood,  &c.  By  whatever 
cause  it  is  produced,  ascertain  it,  and  apply  the  rem- 
edy. 


FEEDING.  159 

OBJECTIONS  TO    GENERAL    FEEDING. 

I  have  known  it  recommended,  and  practised  by 
some  apiarians,  to  feed  bees  all  at  once  in  the  open 
air,  in  a  large  trough ;  but  whoever  realizes  much 
profit  by  this  method,  will  be  very  fortunate,  as  every 
stock  in  the  neighborhood  will  soon  scent  it  out,  and 
carry  off  a  good  share,  and  nearly  every  stock  at  home 
will  be  in  contention,  and  great  numbers  killed ;  the 
moment  the  honey  is  out,  their  attention  is  directed 
to  other  stocks.  Another  objection  to  this  general 
feeding  is,  that  some  stocks  are  not  necessitated  at 
all,  while  others  need  it ;  but  the  strongest  stock  is 
pretty  sure  to  get  the  most.  Now,  as  I  cannot  afford 
to  divide  with  my  neighbors  in  this  way  of  feeding, 
and  I  suppose  but  few  will  be  found  who  are  willing 
to  do  it,  I  will  give  my  method,  which,  when  once 
arranged,  is  but  little  trouble. 

ARRANGEMENT    FOR  FEEDING. 

I  got  a  tinman  to  make  some  dishes,  two  inches  deep, 
10  X 12  inches  square,  and  perpendicular  sides.  A  board 
was  then  got  out,  fifteen  inches  wide,  and  two  feet  long ; 
two  inches  from  one  end,  a  hole  is  cut  out  the  longest 
way,  just  the  size  of  the  dish,  so  that  it  will  set  in  just 
even  with  the  upper  side  of  the  board ;  a  good  fit  should 
be  made,  so  that  no  bees  can  get  in  around  it;  cleats 
should  be  nailed  on  the  under  side  of  the  board,  some 
over  an  inch  thick,  to  prevent  crowding  the  dish  out. 
This  is  to  go  directly  under  the  hive,  but  it  is  not  ready 
yet,  because  if  such  dish  is  filled  with  honey  under  a 
hive,  the  bees  would  drown ;  if  a  float  is  put  on  to 
keep  them  out,  it  will  settle  to  the  bottom  when  the 


160 


SPEING. 


honey  is  out,  and  the  bees  cannot  creep  up  the  sides 
of  tin  very  easily.  Another  thing,  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  the  bees  from  making  their  combs  to  the  bot- 
tom of  this  dish,  two  inches  below  the  bottom  of  the 
hive ;  these  things  are  to  be  prevented.  Get  out  two 
pieces  of  half-inch  board,  ten  inches  long,  one  to  be 
two  inches  wide,  the  other  one  and  a  half  inches.  With 
a  coarse  or  thick  saw,  cut  channels  in  the  side  of  the 
strips,  one-fourth  inch  deep,  three-eighths  or  half  an 
inch  apart,  crosswise  the  whole  length.  You  will  then 
want  a  number  corresponding  to  the  places  sawed,  of 


very  thin  shingles,  or  strips,  say  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
thick,  and  one  and  three-fourths  wide,  and  nine  and  a 
half  long  ;  these  are  to  stand  edgewise  in  the  dish ;  the 
first  two  are  to  hold  them  in  the  channels  at  the  ends. 
The  narrow  one  needs  a  block  one-half  inch  square, 
nailed  on  each  end ;  on  the  edge,  a  strip  of  wire  cloth 
is  then  nailed  on,  making  the  whole  width  just  two 
inches.  This  is  now  put  in  the  dish,  wire  cloth  at  the 
bottom,  two  inches  from  one  end ;  two  pins  to  act  as 
braces  will  keep  it  there;  the  other  wide  one  is  placed 
against  the  other  end,  and  pressed  down  even  with  the 
top  of  the  dish.     The  thin  pieces  are  now  slipped  into 


FEEDING.  161 

the  channels  even  with  the  top  ;  it  is  now  ready  to  go 
under  the  hive  to  be  fed.  Let  the  two-inch  space  pro- 
ject out  on  the  back  side  of  the  hive.  A  narrow  board 
should  be  provided,  some  more  than  two  inches  wide, 
to  cover  it.  Let  the  hive  stand  close  on  this  board  ; 
the  hole  in  the  side  is  sufl&cient  for  the  passage  of  bees 
at  work,  till  very  hot  weather.  Thus  you  see  that  the 
hive  covers  all  but  the  space  behind,  which  the  board 
covers,  and  not  a  strange  bee  can  get  at  the  honey, 
without  entering  the  hole  at  the  side,  and  passing 
through  among  the  bees  belonging  to  the  hive,  which 
they  will  not  often  do ;  if  the  family  is  numerous,  it 
makes  it  as  safe  as  feeding  on  the  top  ;  with  this  ad- 
vantage, there  are  no  bees  in  the  way  to  interfere  while 
pouring  in  the  food.  When  the  bees  are  to  be  fed, 
raise  the  board  at  the  back  and  pour  in  the  honey ;  the 
wire-cloth  in  the  bottom  prevents  all  bees  from  enter- 
ing this  space,  at  the  same  time  will  let  the  honey  pass 
through  directly  under  the  bees,  which  will  take  it 
up  quicker  than  from  any  other  place  that  I  can  put 
it;  they  will  work  all  night  even  when  the  weather  is 
quite  cool.  This  board  and  feeder  can  be  taken  out 
when  done  feedicg,  and  put  away  till  wanted  again ; 
if  left  under  through  the  summer,  it  affords  the  worms 
a  place  rather  too  convenient  to  spin  their  cocoons, 
where  they  are  not  easily  destroyed. 

FEEDINa    TO    INDUCE    EARLY    SWAKMS. 

If  the  object  in  feeding  is  to  induce  early  swarms,  of 
course  the  best  stocks  should  be  chosen  for  the  pur- 
pose ;  but  some  care  is  necessary  not  to  give  too  much, 


162  SPRING. 

and  fill  the  combs  -with  honey,  that  ought  to  be  filled 
with  brood,  and  thereby  defeat  your  object ;  one  pound 
per  day  is  enough,  perhaps  too  much.  The  quantity 
obtained  from  flowers  is  a  partial  guide ;  when  plenty, 
feed  less ;  when  scarce,  more.  Begin  as  soon  as  you 
can  make  them  take  it  up  in  spring,  and  continue  in 
accordance  with  the  weather,  till  white  clover  blos- 
soms, or  swarms  issue.  Another  object  in  feeding 
bees  at  this  period,  is  to  have  the  store  combs  all  filled 
with  inferior  honey,  so  that  when  clover  appears, 
(which  yields  our  best  honey,)  there  is  no  room  except 
in  the  boxes  to  store  it,  which  are  now  put  on,  and 
rapidly  filled.  When  this  last  object  is  alone  wished 
for,  it  is  not  much  matter  how  much  is  given  at  a  time, 
providing  it  is  all  taken  up  through  the  night ;  it  will 
then  take  no  time  in  day-light,  when  they  might  work 
on  flowers;  also,  the  bees  would  have  no  trouble  in 
repelling  any  attempt  of  others  to  get  at  it. 

WHAT    MAY    BE    FED. 

Inferior  honey  may  be  used  for  this  purpose;  South- 
ern or  West  India  is  good,  and  costs  but  little.  Even 
molasses  sugar  mixed  with  it  will  do ;  but  they  do 
not  relish  it  so  well  when  fed  without  the  honey.  I 
have  usually  taken  about  equal  quantities  of  each, 
adding  a  pint  of  water  to  ten  pounds  of  this  mix- 
ture, and  making  it  as  hot  as  it  will  bear  without 
boiling  over,  and  skimming  it. 

IS    CANDIED    HONEY    INJURIOUS  1 

There  has  an  idea  been  advanced,  that  candied 
honey  is  injurious  to  bees,  even  said  to  be  fatal.     I 


FEEDING.  163 

never  could  discover  any  tMng  farther,  than  it  was  a 
perfect  waste,  while  in  this  state.  When  boiled,  and 
a  little  water  added,  it  appears  to  be  just  as  good  as 
any.  Nearly  every  stock  will  have  more  or  less  of 
it  on  hand  at  this  season ;  but  as  warm  weather  ap- 
proaches, and  the  bees  increase  to  warm  the  hive,  it 
seems  to  get  liquified,  from  this  cause  alone.  The 
bees,  when  compelled  to  use  honey  from  these  cells, 
thus  candied,  waste  a  large  portion  ;  a  part  is  liquid, 
and  the  rest  is  grained  like  sugar,  which  may  be  seen 
on  the  bottom-board,  as  the  bees  work  it  out  very  often. 
Another  object  in  feeding  bees,  is  to  give  inferior 
honey,  mixed  with  sugar  and  flavored  to  suit  the  taste, 
to  the  bees,  and  let  them  store  it  in  boxes  for  market. 
Now,  I  have  no  faith  in  honey  undergoing  any  chem- 
ical change  in  the  stomach  of  the  bee,*  and  cannot 

*  Mr.  Gillman's  patent  for  feeding  bees,  is  based  on  the  principle  of 
a  chemical  change.  It  is  said  that  the  food  he  gives  to  the  bees,  when 
poured  into  the  cells,  becomes  honey  of  the  first  quality.  This  ap- 
pears extremely  mysterious  ;  for  it  is  well  understood  that  when  a  bee 
has  filled  its  sack  it  will  go  to  the  hive,  deposit  its  load,  and  return 
immediately  for  more,  and  will  continue  its  labor  throughout  the  day, 
or  until  the  supply  fails  ;  each  load  occupying  but  few  minutes.  The 
time  in  going  from  the  feeder  to  the  hive  is  so  short  that  a  change  so 
important  is  not  at  all  probable.  The  nature  of  bees  seems  to  be  to 
collect  honey,  not  make  it ;  hence  we  find,  when  bees  are  gathering 
from  clover,  they  store  quite  a  different  article  than  when  from  buck- 
wheat,— or  when  we  feed  West  India  honey,  in  quantities  sufficient  to 
have  it  stored  pure  in  the  boxes,  we  find  that  it  has  lost  none  of  its 
bad  taste  in  passing  through  the  sacks  of  our  northern  bees. 

It  appears  most  probable  that,  if  Southern  honey  and  cheap  sugar 
form  the  basis  of  his  food,  (which  it  is  said  to,)  that  it  is  flavored  with 
Bomething  to  disguise  the  disagreeable  qualities  of  the  compound. 
Should  this  be  the  secret,  it  would  seem  like  a  waste  to  feed  it  to  bees — 


>Wk  SPRING. 

recommend  this  as  the  honest  course.  Neither  do  I 
think  it  would  be  very  profitable,  feeding  to  this 
extent,  under  any  circumstances.  I  have  a  few  times 
had  some  boxes  nearly  finished  and  fit  for  market  at 
the  end  of  the  honey  season  ;  a  little  more  added 
would  make  them  answer.  I  have  then  fed  a  few 
pounds  of  good  honey,  but  always  found  that  several 
pounds  had  to  be  given  the  bees  to  get  one  in  the  boxes. 


CHAPTEE    X. 

DESTRUCTION    OF    WORMS. 

I  SHALL  not  give  a  fall  history  of  the  moth  in  this 
chapter,  as  spring  is  not  the  time  they  are  most  destruc- 
tive. It  will  be  further  noticed  under  the  head  of 
Enemies  of  Bees.  But  as  this  is  a  duty  belonging  to 
spring,  a  partial  history  seems  necessary. 

As  soon  as  the  bees  commence  their  labors,  the 
worms  are  generally  ready  to  begin  theirs. 

SOME    IN    THE    BEST    STOCKS. 

You  will  probably  find  some  in  your  best  stocks ; 
but  don't  be  frightened ;  this  is  not  the  season  when 
they  often  destroy  your  stocks,  yet  they  inj  ure  them 
some. 

a  portion  would  be  given  to  the  brood,  and  possibly  the  old  bees 
might  not  always  refrain  from  sipping  a  little  of  the  tempting  nectar 
Why  not,  when  the  compound  was  ready, — instead  of  wasting  it  by 
this  process, — put  it  directly  in  marliet  ?  Or,  is  it  necessary  to  have 
it  in  the  combs  to  help  psychologize  the  consumer  into  the  belief  that 
it  is  honey  of  a  pure  quality  ? 


DESTRUCTION   OF   WORMS.  165 

HOW    FOUND. 

In  the  morning,  when  cool,  raise  the  hive,  and  you 
will  find  them  on  the  board.  You  must  not  suppose 
that  these  chaps  are  bred  outside  the  hive,  got  their 
growth,  and  are  now  on  their  way  among  the  bees, 
but  the  reverse.  They  are  bred  in  the  hive^  and  most 
of  them  are  on  the  way  out,  and  this  is  the  precise 
time  to  arrest  them  and  bring  them  to  justice  for  their 
crimes. 

A    TOOL    FOR    THEm    DESTRUCTION. 

I  have  used  a  simple  tool,  made  in  a  few  minutes, 
and  very  convenient  in  this  business.  Any  one  can 
make  it.  Get  a  piece  of  narrow  hoop-iron,  (steel 
would  be  better,)  three-fourth  inch  wide,  five  inches 
long ;  taper  from  one  side  three  inches  from  the  end 
to  a  point;  then  grind  each  edge  sharp;  make  three 
or  four  holes  through  the  wide  end,  to  admit  small 
nails  through  it  in  the  handle,  which  should  be  about 
two  feet  long  and  about  half  an  inch  square.  Armed 
with  this  weapon,  you  can  proceed.  Eaise  the  hive 
on  one  edge,  and  with  the  point  of  your  sword  you 
may  pick  a  worm  out  of  the  closest  corner,  and  easily 
scrape  all  from  under  the  hive  with  it.  Now,  be  sure 
and  dispatch  every  one  ;  not  that  the  "  little  victim  "  will 
itself,  personally,  do  much  more  mischief;  but  through 
its  descendants  the  mischief  is  to  be  apprehended. 
Yery  likely  half  of  all  you  find  will  have  finished 
their  course  of  destruction,  among  the  combs,  and 
have  voluntarily  left  them  for  a  place  to  spin  their 
cocoons.     They  are  worried  by  the  bees,  if  they  are 


166  SPEING. 

numerous,  until  satisfied  that  it  is  no  safe  place  among 
them  to  make  a  shroud  and  remain  helpless  two  or 
three  weeks.  Accordingly,  when  they  get  their 
growth  they  leave,  get  on  the  board  on  the  bottom, 
become  chilled  and  helpless  in  the  morning,  but  again 
active  by  the  middle  of  the  day.  Now,  if  they  are 
merely  thrown  on  the  earth,  a  place  there  will  be 
selected,  if  no  better  is  found,  for  transformation  ;  and 
a  moth  perfected  ten  feet  from  the  hive  is  just  as 
capable  of  depositing  five  hundred  eggs  in  your  hive, 
as  if  she  had  never  left  it. 

Several  generations  are  matured  in  the  course  of 
one  summer ;  consequently,  one  destroyed  at  this 
season,  may  prevent  the  existence  of  thousands  before 
the  summer  is  over. 

This  is  another  subject  of  theoretical  reasoning,  and 
imposition,  (at  least  in  my  opinion.)  I  wish  the 
reader  to  judge  for  himself;  get  rid  of  whims  and 
prejudice,  and  look  at  the  subject  candidly  and  fair ; 
and  if  there  is  no  corroborative  testimony  comes  up 
to  confirm  any  position  that  I  assume,  I  shall  not 
complain  if  my  assertions  fare  no  better  than  some 
others.    Only  defer  judgment  till  yovihiow  for  yourself. 

Bees  have  ever  received  my  especial  regard  and  at- 
tention ;  and  my  enthusiasm  may  blind  my  judgment. 
I  may  be  prejudiced,  but  will  not  be  wilfully  wrong. 
I  have  found  so  many  theories  utterly  false,  when 
carried  out  in  practice,  that  I  can  depend  on  no  one's 
hypothesis,  however  plausible,  without  facts  in  prac- 
tice to  support  it.  No  one  should  be  fully  credited 
without  a  test.     To  return  to  our  subject. 


DESTRUCTION   OF   WORMS.  167 

MISTAKEN    CONCLUSIONS. 

It  is  supposed  by  many,  when  these  worms  are  found 
on  the  board,  they  get  there  by  accident,  having  drop- 
ped from  the  combs  above.  They  seem  not  to  under- 
stand that  the  worm  generally  travels  on  safe  princi- 
ples ;  that  is,  he  attaches  a  thread  to  whatever  he 
travels  over.  To  be  satisfied  on  this  point,  I  have 
many  times  carefully  detached  his  foot-hold,  when  on 
the  side  of  the  hive  or  other  place,  where  he  would 
fall  a  few  inches,  and  always  found  him  with  a  thread 
fast  at  the  place  he  left,  to  enable  him  to  regain  his 
position  if  he  chose.  Is  it  not  probable,  then,  that 
whenever  he  leaves  the  combs  for  the  bottom-board,  he 
can  readily  ascend  again  ?  No  doubt  he  often  does, 
to  be  driven  down  again  by  the  bees.  Now,  what  I 
wish  to  get  at  by  all  this  preamble,  is  simply  this : 
that  all  our  trouble  and  worrying  to  prevent  the 
worms  from  again  ascending  to  the  combs — by  wire 
hooks,  wire  pins,  screws,  nails,  turned  pins,  clam- 
shells, blocks  of  wood,  &c.,  is  perfect  nonsense,  when 
half  or  more  of  them  would  not  harm  the  bees  any 
more  if  they  did,  and  might  as  well  go  there  as  any 
where  else.  Besides,  these  useless  "  fixins  "  are  very 
often  a  positive  injury  to  the  bees. 

OBJECTIONS  TO  SUSPENDED  BOTTOM-BOARD. 

Suppose,  if  you  please,  that  the  worm  has  no  thread 
attached  above,  and  your  board  is  far  enough  from 
the  bottom  of  the  hive  to  prevent  his  reaching  it.  Of 
course,  he  caa't  get  up;  but  how  are  your  bees  to  do 
an}'  better?     The  worm  can  reach  as  high  as  they  can. 


168  SPRING. 

The  bee  can  flj  up,  you  think ;  so  it  will,  sometimes ; 
but  will  try  a  dozen  times  first  to  get  up  without,  and 
when  it  does,  it  is  a  very  bud  position  to  start  from, 
being  a  smooth  board.  In  hot  weather  it  does  better. 
Did  you  ever  watch  by  a  hive  thus  raised,  in  April  or 
May,  towards  night,  when  it  was  a  little  cool,  and  see 
the  industrious  little  insects  arrive  with  a  load  as 
heavy  as  they  could  possibly  carry,  all  chilly,  and 
nearly  out  of  breath,  scarcely  able  to  reach  home,  and 
there  witness  their  vain  attempts  to  get  among  their 
fellows  above  them?  If  you  never  witnessed  this,  I 
wish  you  would  take  some  pains  for  it,  and  when  you 
find  them  giving  up  in  despair,  when  too  chilly  to  fly, 
and  perishing  after  many  fruitless  attempts  for  life,  I 
think,  if  you  possess  sympathy,  benevoknce,  or  even 
selfishness,  you  will  be  induced  to  do  as  I  did — dis- 
card at  once  wire  hooks  and  all  else  from  under  the 
hive  in  the  spring,  and  give  the  bees,  when  they  do  get 
home  with  a  load,  under  such  circumstances,  what 
they  richly  deserve,  and  that  is,  protection. 

ADVANTAGE  OF  THE  HIVE  CLOSE  TO  THE  BOARD. 

An  inch  hole  in  the  side  of  the  hive,  a  few  inches 
from  the  bottom,  as  a  passage  for  the  bees,  is  needed, 
as  I  shall  recommend  letting  the  hive  close  to  the 
board;  it  is  essential  on  account  of  robbing;  also,  it 
is  necessary  to  confine  as  much  as  possible  the  animal 
heat,  in  most  hives,  during  the  season  the  bees  are 
engaged  in  rearing  young  brood;  and  warmth  is  ne- 
cessary to  hatch  the  eggs,  and  develop  the  larvae ;  we 


DESTRUCTION    OF   WORMS.  169 

all  know  that  when  the  hive  is  close,  less   heat   will 
pass  off  than  if  raised  an  inch. 

OBJECTION    ANSWERED. 

You  object  to  this,  and  tell  me,  "the  worms  will  get 
between  the  bottom  of  the  hive  and  the  board."  Well, 
I  think  they  will,  and  what  then  ?  Why  I  expect  if  you 
intend  to  succeed,  that  you  will  get  them  out,  and 
crush  their  heads  ;  if  you  cannot  give  as  much  attention 
as  this,  better  not  keep  them,  or  let  some  one  have  the 
care  of  them  that  will.  I  am  as  willing  to  find  a  worm 
under  the  edge  of  the  hive,  and  dispatch  it,  as  to  have 
it  creep  into  some  place  out  of  sight,  and  change  to 
the  moth.  I  once  trimmed  off  the  bottom  of  my  hives 
to  a  thin  edge,  so  they  did  not  have  this  place  for 
their  cocoons,  but  now  prefer  to  have  them  square. 
J.Z^^rq/iHs  seldom  obtained  with  anything.  If  you 
plant  a  field  with  corn,  you  do  not  expect  that  the 
whole  work  for  the  crop  is  finished.  Neither  should 
you  expect  when  you  set  up  a  stock  of  bees,  that  a 
full  yield  will  be  realized  without  something  more. 
If  you  are  remunerated  by  keeping  the  weeds  from 
your  corn,  be  assured  it  is  equally  profitable  to  weed 
out  your  bees. 

INSUFFICIENCY    OF   INCLINED    BOTTOM-BOARD. 

Now  do  not  be  deceived  in  this  matter,  and  through, 
indolence  be  induced  to  get  those  hives  with  descend- 
ing bottom-boards,  to  throw  out  the  worms  as  tiiey 
fall,  and  hope  by  that  means  to  get  rid  of  the  trouble; 
(I  have  already,  in  another  chapter,  expressed  doubts 
8 


170  SPRING. 

of  this).  But  we  will  noiv  suppose  such  descending 
bottom-boards  capable  of  throwing  every  worm  that 
touches  it  "  heels  over  head"  to  the  ground ;  what 
have  we  gained  ?  His  neck  is  not  broken,  nor  any 
other  bone  of  his  body  !  As  if  nothing  extraordinary 
had  happened,  he  quietly  gathers  himself  up,  and 
looks  about  for  snug  quarters ;  he  cares  not  a  fig  for 
the  hive  now;  he  gormandized  on  the  combs  until 
satisfied,  before  he  left  them,  and  is  glad  to  get  awaj 
from  the  bees  any  how.  A  place  large  enough  for  a 
cocoon  is  easily  found,  and  when  he  again  becomes' 
desirous  of  visiting  the  hives,  it  is  not  to  satisfy  his 
own  wants,  but  to  accommodate  his  progeny ;  he  is  then 
furnished  with  wings  ample  to  carry  him  to  any  height 
that  you  choose  to  put  your  bees. 

A  MOTH  CAN  GO  WHERE    BEES    CAN. 

A  hive  that  is  proof  against  the  moth,  is  yet  to  be 
constructed.  We  frequently  hear  of  them,  but  when 
they  come  to  be  tested,  somehow  these  worms  get 
where  the  bees  are.  When  your  hives  become  so  full 
of  bees,  that  they  cover  the  board  in  a  cool  morning, 
the  worms  will  be  seldom  found  there,  except  under 
the  edge  of  the  hive. 

TRAP    TO    CATCH    WORMS. 

You  may  now  raise  the  front  side  half  an  inch,  on 
blocks,  for  the  warm  weather,  unless  the  colony  be- 
comes reduced ;  but  you  may  still  catch  the  worms  by 
laying  under  the  bees  a  narrow  shingle,  a  stick  of  elder 
split  in  two  lengthwise,   where  they  may  spin  their 


DESTRUCTION   OF   WORMS.  171 

cocoons.  These  should  be  removed  every  few  days, 
and  the  worms  destroyed,  and  the  trap  put  back.  Do 
not  neglect  it  till  they  change  to  the  moth,  and  you 
have  nothing  but  to  remove  the  empty  cocoon. 

BOX     FOR    WREN. 

If  you  would  take  the  trouble  to  put  up  a  cage  or 
tvv^o  for  the  wren  to  nest  in,  he  would  be  a  valuable 
assistant  in  this  department  of  your  labor.  He  would 
be  on  the  lookout  when  3-ou  were  away,  and  many 
worms,  while  looking  up  a  hiding-place  in  some  cor- 
ner, would  be  relieved  from  all  farther  trouble  by 
being  deposited  in  his  crop.  The  cage  for  him  need 
not  be  more  than  four  inches  square;  it  may  be  fasten- 
ed near  as  possible  to  the  bees ;  to  a  post,  tree,  or  side 
of  some  building  a  few  feet  high.  I  have  seen  the 
skull  of  some  animal  (horse  or  ox)  used,  and  is  very 
convenient  for  them,  the  cavity  for  the  brains  being 
used  for  the  nest.  A  person  once  told  me  the 
wren  would  not  build  in  one  that  he  had  put  up.  On 
examination,  the  stake  to  support  it  was  found  driven 
into  the  only  entrance.  I  mention  this  to  show  how 
little  some  people  understand  what  they  do.  It  is 
sometimes  well  enough  to  know  why  a  thing  is  to  be 
done,  as  to  know  it  must  be  done.  I  could  tell  you  to 
do  a  great  many  things,  but  then  you  would  like  to 
know  why^  then  how  to  do  it.  Now  if  this  prolixity  is 
unnecessary  for  you,  another  may  need  it.  You  must 
remember  I  am  endeavoring  to  teach  some  few  to  keep 
bees,  who  are  not  over  supplied  with  ingenuity. 


172  SUMMER. 

CHAPTER   XL 

PUTTING  ON   AND    TAKING    OFF    BOXES. 

Putting  on  boxes  may  be  considered  a  duty  inter- 
mediate between  spring  and  summer  management.  I 
cannot  recommend  putting  them  on  as  early  as  the 
last  of  April,  or  first  of  May,  in  ordinary  circumstan- 
ces. It  is  possible  to  find  a  case  that  it  would  be  best. 
But  before  the  hive  is  full  of  bees  it  is  generally  use  - 
less,  very  likely  a  disadvantage,  by  allowing  a  portion 
of  animal  heat  to  escape  that  is  needed  in  the  hive  to 
mature  the  brood.  Also,  moisture  may  accumulate 
until  the  inside  moulds,  &c.  Some  experience  and 
judgment  is  necessary  to  know  about  what  time 
boxes  are  needed.  That  boxes  are  needed  at  the 
proper  season,  I  think  I  shall  not  need  an  argument 
to  convince  any  one,  in  the  present  day.  Bee-keepers 
have  generally  discarded  the  barbarous  practice  of 
killing  the  bees  to  obtain  the  honey.  Many  of  them 
have  learned  that  a  good  swarm  will  store  sufficient 
honey  for  winter,  besides  several  dollars  worth  as 
profit  in  boxes. 

ADVANTAGE  OF  THE  PATENT  VENDER. 

Here  is  where  the  patent  vender  has  taken  the  ad- 
vantage of  our  ignorance,  by  pretending  that  no  other 
hive  but  his  ever  obtained  such  quantities^  or  so  pure  in 
quality. 

TIME  OF  PUTTING  ON RULE. 

It  is  probable  a  great  many  readers  will  need  the 
necessary  observation  to  tell  precisely  when  the  hive 


PUTTING   ON   AND   TAKING   OFF   BOXES.         173 

is  full  of  honey  ;  it  may  be  full  of  bees,  and  not  of 
honey.  And  yet  the  only  rule  that  I  can  give  to  be  gen- 
erally applied,  is,  when  the  bees  begin  to  be  crowded 
out,  but  a  day  or  two  before  would  be  just  the  right 
time,  that  is,  when  they  are  obtaining  honey — (for  it 
should  be  remembered  that  they  do  not  always  get 
honey  when  beginning  to  cluster  out).  This  guide 
will  do  in  place  of  a  better  one,  which  close  observa- 
tion and  experience  only  can  give.  By  observing  a 
glass  hive  attentively,  in  those  cells  that  touch  the 
glass  on  the  edge  of  the  combs,  whenever  honey  is 
"being  deposited  here  abundantly,  it  is  quite  evident 
that  the  flowers  are  yielding  it  just  then,  and  other 
stocks  are  obtaining  it  also.  Now  is  the  time,  if  any 
cluster  out,  to  put  on  the  boxes.  When  boxes  are 
made  as  I  have  recommended,  that  is,  the  size  con- 
taining 360  solid  inches,  it  is  advisable  to  put  on  only 
one  at  first ;  when  this  is  full  either  of  bees  or  honey, 
and  yet  bees  are  crowded  outside,  the  other  can  be 
added.  This  is  before  swarming ;  too  much  room 
might  retard  the  swarming  a  few  days,  but  if 
crowded  outside,  it  indicates  want  of  room,  and  the 
boxes  can  make  but  little  difference.  It  is  better  to 
have  one  box  well  filled  than  two  half  full,  which 
might  be  the  case  if  the  bees  were  not  numerous.  The 
object  of  putting  on  boxes  before  swarming,  is  to 
employ  a  portion  of  the  bees,  that  otherwise  would 
remain  idly  cAistering  outside  two  or  three  weeks,  as 
they  often  do,  while  preparing  the  young  queens  for 
swarming.     But  when  all  the  bees  can  be  profitably 


174  SUMMER, 

engaged  in  the  body  of  the  hive,  more  room  is  unne- 
cessary. 

MAKING  HOLES  AFTER  THE  HIVE  IS  FULL. 

Whenever  it  is  required  to  put  boxes  on  a  hive  that 
has  no  holes  through  the  top,  it  need  not  prevent 
your  getting  a  few  pounds  of  the  purest  honey  that 
may  be  had,  just  as  well  as  to  have  a  portion  of  the 
bees  idle.  I  always  endeavor  to  ascertain  in  what 
direction  the  sheets  of  comb  are  made,  and  then  mark 
off  the  row  of  holes  on  the  top,  at  right  angles  with 
them. 

ADVANTAGE  OF  PROPER  ARRANGEMENT. 

Two  inches  being  nearly  the  right  distance,  each 
one  will  be  so  made  that  a  bee  arriving  at  the  top 
of  the  hive  between  any  two  sheets  will  be  able  to 
find  a  passage  into  the  box,  without  the  task  of  a  long 
search  for  it ;  which  I  can  imagine  to  be  the  case  when 
only  one  hole  for  a  passage  is  made,  or  when  the  row 
of  holes  is  parallel  with  the  combs.  A  hive  might 
contain  eight  or  ten  sheets  of  comb,  and  a  bee  desirous 
of  entering  the  box  might  go  up  between  any  two, 
many  times,  before  it  found  the  passage.  It  has  been 
urged  that  every  bee  soon  learns  all  passages  and  places 
about  the  hive,  and  consequently  will  know  the  direct 
road  to  the  box.  This  ma}^  be  true,  but  when  we  recol- 
lect that  all  within  the  hive  is  perfect  darkness — that 
this  path  must  be  found  by  the  sense  of  feeling  alone — 
that  this  sense  must  be  its  guide  in  all  its  future  travels — 


PUTTING   ON   AND   TAKING   OFF   BOXES.  l75 

that  perhaps  a  thousand  or  two  young  workers  are 
added  every  week,  and  these  have  to  learn  by  the  same 
means — it  would  seem,  if  we  studied  our  own  interest, 
we  would  give  them  all  the  facility  possible  for  enter- 
ing the  boxes.  What  way  so  easy  for  them  as  to  have 
a  passage,  when  they  get  to  the  top,  between  each 
comb  ?  That  bees  do  not  know  all  roads  about  the 
hive,  can  be  partially  proved  by  opening  the  door  of 
a  glass  hive.  Most  of  the  bees  about  leaving,  instead 
of  going  to  the  bottom  for  their  exit,  where  they  have 
departed  many  times,  seem  to  know  nothing  of  the 
way,  but  vainly  try  to  get  out  through  the  glass, 
whenever  light  is  admitted. 

I  am  so  well  convinced  of  this,  that  I  take  some 
pains  to  accommodate  them  with  a  passage  between 
each  comb ;  they  will  then  at  least  lose  no  time  by 
mistakes  between  the  wrong  combs,  crowding  and 
elbowing  their  way  back  through  a  dense  mass  of  bees 
which  impede  every  step,  until  again  at  the  top  per- 
haps between  the  same  combs,  perhaps  right,  perhaps 
farther  off  than  at  first ;  when  I  suppose  they  try  it 
again ;  as  boxes  are  filled  sometimes  under  just  such 
circumstances. 

To  assist  them  as  much  as  possible,  when  new  hives 
are  used  for  swarms,  I  wait  till  the  hive  is  nearly  filled 
before  making  the  holes  to  ascertain  the  direction  of 
the  combs.  We  all  know  it  is  uncertain  which 
way  the  combs  will  be  built,  when  the  swarm  is  put 
in,  unless  guide-combs  are   used.*     When   holes   are 

*  Perhaps  Miner's  cross-bar  hire  vrould  do  it. 


176  SUMMER. 

made  before  the  bees  are  put  in,  guide-combs  as  di- 
rected for  boxes  should  be  put  in  ;  (of  course  they 
should  cross  at  right  angles  the  row  of  holes). 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    BORING    HOLES    IN    FULL    STOCKS. 

To  make  holes  in  the  top  after  the  combs  are  made. — 
Mark  out  the  top  as  directed  for  making  hives  and 
boxes.  A  centre  bit  or  an  auger  bit  with  a  lip  or 
barb  is  best,  as  that  cuts  down  a  little  foster  than  the 
chip  is  taken  out,  leaving  it  smooth ;  when  nearly 
through,  a  pointed  knife  can  cut  the  remainder  of  the 
chip  loose,  and  it  can  be  taken  out ;  if  it  is  between  the 
combs,  it  is  well ;  if  directly  over  the  centre  of  one,  it 
is  a  little  better ;  with  the  knife  take  out  a  piece  as 
large  as  a  walnut ;  even  if  honey  is  in  it,  no  harm  will 
be  done.  The  bees  will  then  have  a  passage  through 
from  either  side  of  the  comb. 

After  you  have  opened  one  hole,  very  likely  the 
bees  will  want  to  see  what  is  going  on  over  head,  and 
walk  out  to  reconnoitre.  To  prevent  their  interfer- 
ence, use  some  tobacco-smoke,  and  send  them  down 
out  of  your  way,  till  your  hole  is  finished.  Now  lay 
over  this  a  small  stone  or  block  of  wood,  and  make 
the  others  in  the  same  way.  When  all  are  done,  blow 
in  some  smoke  as  you  uncover  them,  and  put  on  your 
box.  This  process  is  not  half  so  formidable  as  it  ap- 
pears ;  I  have  in  this  way  bored  hundreds.  You  will 
remember  my  hives  are  not  as  high  as  many  others 
keep  them,  they  are  in  about  as  convenient  a  position 
as  I  can  get  them.  This  method  saves  me  the  trouble 
of  sticking  the  guide-combs  in  my  hives;  also,  the  ne- 


PUTTING  ON   AND   TAKING   OFF  BOXES.         177 

cessitj  of  covering  or  stopping  the  boles.  Dr.  Bevau 
and  some  others  have  made  a  cross-bar  hive,  instead 
of  nailing  on  a  top  in  the  usual  way  ;  a  half-inch  board 
of  the  right  length  is  cut  into  strips,  some  over  an 
inch  wide,  and  half  an  inch  apart,  across  the  top.  It 
is  plain  that  in  such  a  hive  a  bee  can  pass  into  the  box 
whenever  it  arrives  at  the  top,  without  difficulty.  I 
will  here  repeat  the  objection  to  allowing  too  much 
room,  to  pass  into  the  boxes,  that  you  may  see  the 
disadvantages  of  the  extremes  of  too  little  and  too  much 
room.  In  these  cross-bar  hives,  the  animal  heat  rises 
into  the  box  from  the  main  hive,  making  it  as  warm  as 
below;  the  queen  goes  up  with  the  bees,  and  finding  it 
warm  and  convenient  for  breeding,  deposits  her  eggs ; 
and  young  brood  as  well  as  honey  is  found  there.  "When 
we  think  it  full,  it  is  then  indispensable  to  return  it,  if 
taken  off,  till  they  hatch,  (otherwise  they  spoil  it  by 
moulding),  which  makes  the  combs  dark,  tough,  &c. 
Another  objection  to  such  open  tops  is,  that  open 
bottom  boxes  must  be  used,  which  are  not  half  as  neat 
for  market. 

TO    BE    TAKEN    OFF    WHEN    FILLED. 

This  advantage  attends  glass  boxes:  while  being 
filled,  the  progress  can  be  watched  till  finished,  when 
they  should  be  taken  off  to  preserve  the  purity  of  the 
combs.  Every  day  the  bees  are  allowed  to  run  over 
them,  renders  them  darker.  Consequently,  when  our 
bees  are  a  long  time  filling  a  box,  it  is  not  as  purely 
■white  as  when  filled  expeditiously 


178  SUMMER. 

TIME    TAKEN    TO    FILL    A    BOX. 

Two  weeks  is  the  shortest  time  I  ever  had  any  filled 
and  finished.  This,  of  course,  depends  on  the  yield 
of  honey,  and  size  of  the  swarm  ;  three  or  four  weeks 
are  usually  taken  for  the  purpose.  I  have  before  said 
that  the  first  yield  of  honey  nearly  fails  in  this  section, 
usuall}^  about  the  20th  of  July  ;  there  are  some  varia- 
tions, later  or  earlier,  according  to  the  season.  In 
other  places  it  may  be  much  later. 

WHEN    TO    TAKE    OFF    BOXES    PART    FULL. 

It  can  be  ascertained  by  occasionally  raising  the 
cover  to  your  glass  boxes.  When  no  more  is  being 
added,  all  boxes  that  are  worth  the  trouble  should  be 
taken  off;  if  left  longer  the  comb  gets  darker,  and 
such  cells  of  honey  as  are  not  sealed  over,  (and  some- 
times the  majority  are  such,)  the  bees  generally  remove 
down  into  the  hive. 

TOBACCO  SMOKE  PREFERRED  TO  SUDES. 

When  boxes  are  to  be  taken  off,  if  a  slide  of  tin, 
zinc,  &c.,  is  used  to  close  the  holes,  some  of  the  bees 
are  apt  to  be  crushed,  others  will  find  themselves 
minus  a  head,  leg;  or  abdomen,  and  all  of  them  be  ir- 
ritable for  several  days.  A  little  tobacco  smoke  is 
preferable,  as  it  keeps  all  quiet.  Just  raise  the  box 
to  be  taken  off  sufficient  to  puff  under  it  some  smoke, 
and  the  bees  will  leave  the  vicinity  of  the  holes  in  an 
instant;  the  box  can  then  be  removed,  and  another 
put  on  if  necessary,  without  exciting  their  anger  in 
the  least. 


FITTING   ON   AXD   TAKING   OFF   BOXES.  179 

MAXJTER    OF    DISPOSING    OF    THE    BEES    IN    THE    BOXES. 

Arouse  the  bees  by  striking  the  box  lightly  four  or 
five  times.  If  all  the  cells  are  finished,  and  honey  is 
still  obtained,  turn  the  box  bottom  up,  near  the  hive 
from  which  it  was  taken,  so  that  the  bees  can  enter  it 
without  flying;  by  this  means  you  can  save  several 
young  bees,  that  have  never  left  the  hive  and  marked 
the  location,  and  a  few  others  too  weak  to  fly,  but  will 
follow  the  others  into  the  hive;  (such  are  lost  when 
we  are  obliged  to  carry  them  at  a  distance.)  Boxes 
can  be  taken  ofl"  either  in  the  morning  or  evening;  if 
in  the  morning,  it  may  stand  several  hours  when  the 
sun  is  not  too  hot,  but  on  no  account  let  it  stand  in 
the  sun  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  as  the  combs  will 
melt.  The  bees  will  all  leave,  sometimes  in  an  hour ; 
at  others  they  will  not  be  out  in  three.  They  may  be 
taken  off  at  evening  and  stand  till  morning,  in  fair 
weather  ;  if  not  too  cool,  they  are  generally  all  out ; 
but  here  is  some  risk  of  the  moth  finding  it  and  de- 
positing her  eggs ;  perhaps  one  in  fifty  may  be  thus 
found. 

BEES    DISPOSED    TO    CARRY   AWAY    HONET. 

When  boxes  are  taken  off  at  the  end  of  the  honey 
season,  a  different  method  of  getting  rid  of  the  bees 
must  be  adopted,  or  we  lose  our  honey.  Unless  the 
combs  are  all  finished,  we  lose  some  then  any  way,  as 
most  of  the  bees  fill  themselves  before  leaving ;  they 
carry  it  home  and  return  for  more  immediately,  and 
take  it  all,  if  not  prevented.  It  has  been  recom- 
mended to  take  it  to  some  dark  room  with  a  small 


180  SUMMER. 

opening  to  let  the  bees  out  ;  in  the  course  of  the  day 
they  will  sometimes  all  leave  ;  but  this  method  I  have 
found  unsafe,  as  thev  sometimes  find  the  way  back. 
When  a  large  number  of  boxes  are  to  be  managed, 
a  more  expeditious  mode  is,  to  have  a  large  box  with 
close  joints,  or  an  empty  hogshead,  or  a  few  barrels 
with  one  head  out,  set  in  some  convenient  place  ;  put 
the  boxes  in,  one  above  another,  but  not  in  a  manner 
to  stop  the  holes ;  over  the  top  throw  a  sheet  of  one 
thickness,  a  thin  one  is  best,  as  it  will  let  through 
more  light.  The  bees  will  leave  the  boxes,  creep  to 
the  top,  and  get  on  the  sheet ;  take  this  off  and  turn 
it  over  a  few  times  ;  in  this  way  all  may  be  got  rid  of 
without  the  possibility  of  carrying  off  much  honey. 
All  that  know  the  way  will  return  to  the  hive,  but  a 
few  young  ones  are  lost. 

NOT    DISPOSED    TO    STING. 

They  seldom  offer  to  sting  during  this  part  of  the 
operation,  even  when  the  box  is  taken  off  without 
tobacco  smoke,  and  carried  away  from  the  hive ;  after 
a  little  time,  the  bees  finding  themselves  away  from 
home,  lose  all  animosity. 

As  honey  becomes  scarce,  less  brood  is  reared ;  a 
great  many  cells  that  they  occupied  are  soon  empty  ; 
also,  several  cells  that  contained  honey  have  been 
drained,  and  used  to  mature  the  portion  of  brood 
just  started  at  the  time  of  the  failure.  We  can  now 
understand,  or  think  we  do,  why  our  best  stocks  that 
are  very  heavy,  that  but  a  few  days  before  were  crowd- 
ed for  room  and  storing  in  boxes,  are  now  eager  for 


SECURING   HONEY   FROM  THE   MOTH.  181 

honey  to  store  in  the  hive  ;  as  there  is  abundant  room 
for  several  pounds.  They  will  quickly  remove  to  the 
hive  the  contents  of  any  box  left  exposed ;  or  even 
risk  their  lives  by  entering  a  neighboring  hive  for  it ; 
after  being  allowed  to  make  a  beginning,  under  such 
circumstances. 


During  a  yield  of  honey,  take  off  boxes  as  fast  as 
they  are  filled,  and  put  on  empty  ones.  At  the  end 
of  the  season  take  all  off.  Not  one  stock  in  a  hundred 
will  starve  that  has  worked  in  boxes,  that  is,  when  the 
hive  is  the  proper  size,  and  full  before  adding  the 
boxes,  unless  robbed  or  other  casualty. 


CHAPTEE    XII. 

SECURING  HONEY  FROM  THE    MOTH. 
TWO  THINGS  TO  BE  PREVENTED. 

When  the  boxes  are  free  from  the  bees,  two  things 
are  to  be  prevented,  if  we  wish  to  save  our  honey  till 
cold  weather.  One  is  to  keep  out  the  worms,  the  other 
to  prevent  souring.  The  last  may  be  new  to  many, 
but  some  few  of  us  have  had  it  caused  by  dampness 
in  warm  weather.  The  combs  become  covered  with 
moisture,  a  portion  of  the  honey  becomes  thin  like 
water,  and  instead  of  the  saccharine  qualities  we  have 
the  acid.  Eemedy :  keep  perfectly  dry  and  cool,  if 
you  can,  but  dry  at  any  rate. 


182  SUMMER. 

APT    TO  BE    DECEIVED    ABOUT    THE    WORMS. 

But  the  worms,  you  can  surely  keep  them  out,  you 
think,  since  you  can  seal  up  the  boxes  perfectly  close, 
preventing  the  moth  or  even  the  smallest  ant  from  en- 
tering !  Yes,  you  may  do  this  efiectually,  but  the 
worms  will  often  be  there  son:ehow,  unless  in  a  very 
low  temperature,  such  as  a  very  cool  cellar,  or  ice  house, 
and  then  you  have  dampness  to  guard  against.  I  have 
a  little  experience  in  this  matter  that  spoils  your  the- 
ory entirely.  I  have  taken  off  glass  jars,  and  watched 
them  till  the  bees  were  all  out,  and  was  certain  the  moth 
did  not  come  near  them,  then  immediately  sealed  them 
up ;  absolutely  preventing  access  afterwards,  (I  could 
do  this  with  a  jar  more  effectually  than  a  box  which 
is  made  of  several  pieces,)  I  then  felt  quite  sure  that  I 
was  ahead,  and  should  have  no  trouble  with  the  worms, 
as  had  often  been  the  case  before.  I  was  sadly  mis- 
taken. 

THEIR    PROGRESS    DESCRIBED. 

In  a  few  days,  I  could  see  at  first  a  little  white  dust, 
like  flour,  on  the  side  of  the  combs,  and  on  the  bottom 
of  the  jar.  As  the  worms  grew  larger,  this  dust  was 
coarser.  By  looking  closely  at  the  combs,  a  small 
white  thread-like  line  was  first  perceptible,  enlarging 
as  the  worm  progressed. 

When  combs  are  filled  with  honey,  they  go  only  on 
the  surface,  eating  nothing  but  the  sealing  of  the  cells ; 
seldom  penetrating  to  the  centre,  without  an  empty 
cell  to  give  the  chance.  Disgusting  as  they  seem  to 
be,  they  dislike  being  daubed  with  honey.  Wax,  and 
not  honey ^  is  Uieirfood. 


SECURING   HONEY  FROM  THE   MOTH.  183 

The  reader  would  like  to  know  how  these  worms 
came  in  the  jars,  when,  to  all  appearance,  it  was  a  phy- 
sical impossibility.  I  would  like  to  tell  positively,  but 
cannot.  But  I  will  guess,  if  you  will  allow  it.  I  will 
first  premise,  that  I  do  not  suppose  they  are  generated 
spontaneously  !  Their  being  found  there,  then,  would 
indicate  some  agent  or  means  not  readily  perceived. 

A    SOLUTION    OFFERED. 

The  hypothesis  that  I  offer  is  original  and  new,  and 
therefore  open  for  criticism;  if  there  is  a  better  way  to 
account  for  the  mystery,  I  would  be  glad  to  know  it. 

From  the  first  of  June  till  late  in  the  fall,  the  moth 
may  be  found  around  our  hives,  active  at  night,  but 
still  in  the  day.  The  only  object  probably  is  to  find 
a  suitable  place  to  deposit  its  eggs,  that  the  young  may 
have  food  ;  if  no  proper  and  convenient  place  is  found, 
why,  I  suppose  it  will  take  up  with  such  as  it  can  find ; 
their  eggs  must  be  deposited  somewhere,  it  may  be  in 
the  cracks  in  the  hive,  in  the  dust  at  the  bottom,  or 
outside,  as  near  the  entrance  as  they  dare  approach. 
The  bees  running  over  them  may  get  one  or  more  of 
these  eggs  attached  to  their  feet  or  bodies,  and  carry 
it  among  the  combs,  where  it  may  be  left  to  hatch.  It 
IS  not  at  all  probable  that  the  moth  ever  passed 
through  the  hive  among  the  bees,  to  deposit  her  eggs 
in  the  jars  before  mentioned.  Had  these  jars  been  left 
on  the  hive,  not  a  worm  would  have  ever  defaced  a 
comb ;  because,  when  the  bees  are  numerous,  each 
worm  as  soon  as  it  commences  its  work  of  destruction 
will  be  removed,  that  is,  when  it  works  on  the  surface, 


184  SUMMER. 

as  in  the  boxes  of  honey — in  breeding  combs,  they  get 
in  the  centre  and  are  more  difficult  to  remove.  By 
taking  off  these  jars  and  removing  the  bees,  it  gave  all 
the  eggs  that  happened  to  be  there  a  fair  chance.  Many 
writers  finding  the  combs  undisturbed  when  left  on 
the  hive  till  cold  weather,  recommend  that  as  the  only 
safe  way,  preferring  to  have  the  combs  a  little  darker, 
than  the  risk  of  being  destroyed  by  the  worms.  But 
I  object  to  dark  combs,  and  leaving  the  boxes  will  ef- 
fectually prevent  empty  ones  taking  their  places,  which 
are  necessary  to  get  all  the  profits.  I  will  offer  a  few 
more  remarks  in  favor  of  my  theory,  and  then  give  my 
remedy  for  the  worms.  I  have  found  in  all  hives  where 
the  bees  have  been  removed  in  warm  weather,  say  be- 
tween the  middle  of  June  and  September,  (and  it  has 
been  a  great  many,)  moth  eggs  enough  among  the 
combs  to  destroy  them  in  a  very  short  time,  unless 
kept  in  a  very  cool  place ;  this  result  has  been  uniform. 
Any  person  doubting  this,  may  remove  the  bees  from 
a  hive  that  is  full  of  combs  in  July  or  August ;  and 
close  it  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  a  moth  entering, 
set  it  away  in  a  temperature  ranging  from  sixty  to 
ninety,  and  if  there  are  not  worms  enough  to  satisfy  him 
that  this  is  correct,  he  will  have  better  success  than  I 
ever  did.  Yet,  no  such  result  will  follow,  when  the 
bees  are  left  among  the  combs,  unless  the  swarm  be 
very  small;  then  the  injury  done  will  be  in  proportion. 
A  strong  stock  may  have  as  razuj  moth  eggs  among 
the  combs  as  a  weak  one,  yet  one  will  be  scarcely  in- 
jured, while  the  other  may  be  nearly  or  quite  de- 
stroyed. 


SECURING   HONEY    FROM   THE   MOTH.  185 

Now,  if  this  theory  be  correct,  and  the  bees  do  ac- 
tually carry  these  eggs  among  the  combs,  is  there  not 
a  great  deal  of  lost  labor  in  trying  to  construct  a  moth- 
proof hive  ?  The  moth,  or  rather  the  worms,  are  ever 
present  to  devour  the  combs,  whenever  the  bees  have 
left  them  in  this  season. 

METHOD    OF    KILLING    WORMS    IN    BOXES. 

Now,  whether  you  are  satisfied  or  not  with  the  fore- 
going, we  will  proceed  with  the  remedy.  Perhaps  you 
may  find  one  box  in  ten  that  will  have  no  worms  about 
it,  others  may  contain  from  one  to  twenty  when  they 
have  been  off  a  week  or  more.  All  the  eggs  should 
have  a  chance  to  hatch,  which  in  cool  weather  may  be 
three  weeks.  They  should  be  watched,  that  no  worms 
get  large  enough  to  injure  the  combs  much,  before 
they  are  destroyed.  Get  a  close  barrel  or  box  that 
will  exclude  the  air  as  much  as  possible ;  in  this  put 
the  boxes,  with  the  holes  or  bottom  open.  In  one 
corner  leave  a  place  for  a  cup  or  dish  of  some  kind,  to 
hold  some  sulphur  matches  while  burning.  (They  are 
made  by  dipping  paper  or  rags  in  melted  sulphur.) 
When  all  is  ready,  ignite  the  matches,  and  cover  close 
for  several  hours.  A  little  care  is  required  to  have  it 
just  right:  if  too  little  is  used,  the  worms  are  not  killed; 
if  too  much,  it  gives  the  combs  a  jreen  color.  A  little 
experience  will  soon  enable  you  to  judge.  If  the  worms 
are  not  killed  on  the  first  trial,  another  dose  must  be 
administered.  Much  less  sulphur  will  adhere  to  paper 
or  rags,  if  it  is  very  hot,  when  dipped,  than  when  just 
above  the  temperature  necessary  to  melt  it;  this  should 


186  SUMMER, 

be  considered,  as  well  as  the  number  of  boxes  to  be 
smoked,  size  of  the  vessel  used  in  smoking  them,  &c. 

Whether  this  gas  from  burning  sulphur  will  destroy 
the  eggs  of  the  moth  before  the  worm  appears,  I  have 
not  tested  sufficiently  to  decide  ;  but  I  do  know  that 
it  is  an  effectual  quietus  for  the  larvse  ! 

FREEZING    DESTROYS    THEM. 

Boxes  taken  off"  at  the  end  of  warm  weather,  and 
exposed  in  a  freezing  situation  through  the  winter,  ap- 
pear to  have  all  the  worms  as  well  as  eggs  for  them 
destroyed  by  the  cold  ;  consequent!}^,  all  boxes  so  ex- 
posed, may  be  kept  any  length  of  time ;  the  only  care 
being  necessary,  to  shut  out  the  moth  effectually.  But 
don't  forget  to  look  out  for  all  combs  from  which  the 
bees  have  been  removed  in  warm  weather.  I  prefer 
taking  off  all  boxes  at  the  end  of  the  first  yield  of 
honey,  even  when  I  expect  to  put  them  on  again  for 
buckwheat  honey.  The  bees  at  this  season  collect  a 
great  abundance  of  propolis,  which  they  spread  over 
the  inside  of  the  boxes  as  well  as  hive ;  in  some  in- 
stances it  is  spread  on  the  glass  so  thick  as  to  prevent 
the  quality  of  honey  being  seen.  There  is  no  neces- 
sity for  boxes  on  a  hive  at  any  season  when  there  is 
no  yield  of  honey  to  fill  them.  Sometimes  even  in  a 
yield  of  buckwheat  honey,  a  stock  may  contain  too 
few  bees  to  fill  boxes,  but  just  a  few  may  go  into  them 
and  put  on  the  propolis;  this  should  not  be  allowed,  as 
it  makes  it  look  bad  when  used  another  year.  At  this 
season,  (August)  some  old  stocks  may  be  full  of  combs, 
and  but  few  bees,  but  swarms  when  they  have  got  the 


SWARMING.  1B7 

hive  full  in  time,  are  very  sure  to  have  bees  enough 
to  go  into  the  boxes  to  work.  I  have  known  them  to 
do  so  in  three  weeks  after  being  hived. 

OBJECTION    TO  USING  BOXES    BEFORE  THE  mVE  IS  FULL. 

Some  put  on  boxes  at  the  time  of  hiving  the  bees. 
In  such  cases  the  box  is  often  filled  first,  and  nearly 
as  often  will  contain  brood.  I  consider  it  no  advan- 
tage, and  often  a  damage  to  do  so  ;  as  I  want  the  hive 
full  any  way — and  then  if  they  have  time  let  them  into 
boxes,  although  it  may  be  buckwheat,  instead  of  clover 
honey  that  we  get. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

SWARMING. 

TIME  TO  EXPECT  THEM. 

The  season  for  regular  swarms  in  this  section,  I  have 
known  to  commence  the  15th  of  May,  and  in  some 
seasons  the  1st  of  July.  The  end  is  about  the  15th 
of  the  latter  month,  with  some  exceptions.  I  have 
had  one  as  late  as  the  21st;  also  a  few  buckwheat 
swarms  between  the  12th  and  25th  of  August. 

The  subject  now  before  us  is  one  of  thrilling  interest. 
To  the  apiarian  the  prospect  of  an  increase  of  stocks  is 
sufficient  to  create  some  interest,  even  when  the  phe- 
nomenon of  swarming  would  fail  to  awaken  it.  But 
to  the  naturalist  this  season  has  charms  that  the  indif- 
ferent beholder  can  never  realize. 


188  SUMMER. 

ALL  BEE-KEEPERS  SHOULD  UNDERSTAND  IT  AS  IT  IS. 

As  a  guide  in  many  cases,  it  is  important  that  the 
practical  apiarian  should  understand  this  matter  as  it 
is,  and  not  as  said  to  be  by  many  authors.  I  shall  be 
under  the  necessity  of  differing  from  nesLrlj  all  in 
many  points. 

MEANS  OF  UNDERSTANDING  IT. 

This  is  another  case  of  "  when  doctors  disagree, 
who  shall  decide  ?"  You,  reader,  are  just  the  person. 
There  is  no  need  of  a  doctor  at  all  in  this  matter.  I 
will  endeavor  to  give  a  test  for  most  of  my  assertions. 
To  make  this  subject  as  plain  as  possible  in  this  place, 
I  may  repeat  some  things  said  before.  The  facts  re- 
lated have  come  under  my  own  observation.  I  have 
probably  taken  more  pains  than  most  bee-keepers,  to 
understand  this  matter  to  the  bottom /rom  the  beginning, 
(I  mean  the  bottom  of  the  cells).  But  few  apiarians 
have  made  the  number  of  examinations  that  I  have 
to  get  at  the  modus  operandi  of  swarming.  Perhaps  I 
ought  not  to  expect  full  credit  for  veracity,  when  I 
assure  the  reader  that  I  have  inverted  more  than  one 
hundred  stocks  to  get  a  peep  at  the  royal  cells,  some 
of  them  near  a  dozen  times  in  one  summer.  I  have 
inverted  them  frequently  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
cells.  But  generally  to  see  when  such  cells  are  being 
made,  when  they  contain  eggs,  when  these  eggs  are 
sufficiently  matured  for  swarming,  or  abandoned  and 
destroyed,  &c. 

By  these  signs  I   predict  with  certainty  (almost) 


SWARMING.  189 

when  to  expect  swarms,  and  when    to  cease  looking 
for  them. 

"    INVERTING  A  STOCK  RATHER  FORMIDABLE  AT  FIRST. 

To  a  person  that  has  never  inverted  a  hive  full  of 
bees,  even  to  overflowing,  or  never  has  seen  it  done, 
it  appears  like  a  great  undertaking,  as  well  as  the 
probability  of  ruining  the  stock  !  But  after  the  first 
trial,  the  magnitude  of  the  performance  is  greatly  di- 
minished, and  will  grow  less  with  every  repetition  of 
the  feat,  until  there  is  not  the  least  dread  attending  it. 
Without  tobacco  smoke  I  hardly  think  it  practicable, 
but  with  it,  there  is  not  the  least  difficulty.  It  would 
be  very  unsatisfactory  to  turn  over  a  hive  and  nothing 
to  drive  the  bees  away  from  the  very  places  on  the 
combs  that  you  wish  particularly  to  inspect.  The 
smoke  is  just  the  thing  to  do  it!  As  for  the  bad 
effects  of  such  overturning  and  smoking,  I  never  dis- 
covered any. 

REQUISITES  BEFORE  PREPARATION  OF    QUEEn's  CELLS. 

I  have  found  the  process  for  all  regular  swarms 
something  like  this :  before  they  commence,  two  or 
three  things  are  requisite.  The  combs  must  be  crowded 
with  bees;  they  must  contain  a  numerous  brood  ad- 
vancing from  the  egg  to  maturity  ;  the  bees  must  be 
obtaining  honey  either  by  being  fed  or  from  flowers. 
Being  crowded  with  bees  in  a  scarce  time  of  honey  is 
insufficient  to  bring  out  the  swarm,  neither  is  an 
abundance  sufficient,  without  the  bees  and  the  brood. 
The  period  that  all  these  requisites  happen  together, 


190  SUMMER. 

and  remain  long  enough,  will  vary  with  different 
stocks,  and  many  times  do  not  happen  at  all  through 
the  season,  with  some. 

These  causes  then  appear  to  produce  a  few  queen -cells, 
generally  begun  before  the  hive  is  filled,  (sometimes 
when  only  half  full,  but  usually  remain  as  rudiments 
till  the  next  year,  when  the  foregoing  conditions  of 
the  stock  may  require  their  use). 

STATE    OF    queen's    CELL    WHEN    USED. 

They  are  about  half  finished,  when  they  receive  the 
eggs  ;  as  these  eggs  hatch  into  larvae,  others  are  begun, 
and  receive  eggs  at  different  periods  for  several  days 
later.  The  number  of  such  cells  seem  to  be  governed 
by  the  prosperity  of  the  bees  ;  when  the  family  is  nu- 
merous, and  the  yield  of  honey  abundant,  they  may 
amount  to  twenty,  at  other  times  perhaps  not  more 
than  two  or  three;  although  several  such  cells  may 
remain  empty.  I  have  already  said  that  a  failure,  (or 
even  a  partial  one),  in  the  yield  of  honey  at  any  time 
from  the  depositing  of  royal  eggs  till  the  sealing  of 
the  cells,  (which  is  about  ten  days),  would  be  likely 
to  bring  about  their  destruction.  Even  after  being 
sealed,  I  have  found  a  few  instances  where  they  were 
destroyed. 

STATE  WHEN  SWARMS  ISSUE. 

But  when  there  is  nothing  precarious  about  the 
honey,  the  sealing  of  these  cells  is  the  time  to  expect 
the  first  swarm,  which  will  generally  issue  the  first 
fair  day  after  one  or  more  are  finished.    I  never  missed 


SWARMING.  191 

a  prediction  for  a  swarm  48  hours,  when  I  nave  judged 
from  these  signs,  in  a  prosperous  season.  When 
there  is  a  partial  failure  of  honey,  the  swarm  some- 
times will  wait  several  days  after  finishing  them. 

CLUSTERING  OUTSIDE  NOT  ALWAYS  TO  BE  DEPENDED   UPON. 

The  clustering  out  of  the  bees  I  find  but  a  poor 
criterion  to  judge  from,  further  than  full  hives  do 
swarm — many  such  do  not. 

EXAMINATIONS THE    RESULT. 

I  will  detail  a  few  circumstances,  that  have  led  to 
these  conclusions.  Some  years  ago  the  honey  began 
to  fail,  when  only  about  one  third  of  my  good  stocks 
had  cast  swarms ;  and  all  at  once,  the  issues  began  to 
"  be  few  and  far  between."  I  had  previously  exam- 
ined, and  found  they  had  gone  into  preparations  pretty 
extensively;  by  having  not  only  constructed  cells, 
but  occupied  them  with  royal  eggs  and  larvce.  Now 
I  examined  again,  and  found  five  out  of  six  had 
destroyed  thom,  (at  the  same  time  the  bees  clustered 
out  extensiv'yly).  This  put  an  end  to  all  hopes  of 
swarms  here.  Some  few  had  finished  their  cells,  and 
these,  I  had  some  hopes,  would  send  out  the  swarms ; 
but  the  dry  weather  caused  some  misgivings.  After 
waiting  three  or  four  days  and  none  coming,  I  found 
these  sealed  cells  destroyed  also,  and  had  no  more 
swarms  that  season.  Subsequent  observations  have  ful- 
ly confirmed  these  things.  One  season  some  of  the  hives 
commenced  preparations  at  two  different  periods,  and 
then  abandoned  them  without  swarming  at  all,  through 


192  SUMMER. 

the  summer.     The  first  time  it  was  the  last  of  May, 
the  next  in  July. 

REMARKS. 

The  failure  of  honey  was  the  cause,  without  any 
doubt.  And  who  shall  say,  these  bees  were  not  wise 
in  their  conduct  ?  What  prudent  man  would  emigrate 
with  a  family,  if  the  prospect  of  a  famine  was  plainly 
indicated,  when,  by  remaining  at  home,  there  was 
enough,  at  least  for  the  present  ?  Who  can  help  but 
admire  this  wise  and  beautiful  arrangement?  The 
combs  must  contain  brood  ;  the  bees  must  find  honey 
during  the  rearing  of  the  queens.  If  a  swarm  were 
to  issue  the  moment  of  obtaining  honey,  the  conse- 
quence might  be  fatal,  as  there  would  not  be  a  nume- 
rous brood  to  hatch  out,  and  replenish  the  old  stock 
with  bees  sufficient  to  keep  out  the  worms.  Were 
they  to  issue  at  any  time,  as  soon  as  the  bees  had  in- 
creased enough  in  numbers  to  spare  a  swarm,  without 
regard  to  the  yield  of  honey,  they  might  starve. 

CONLFICTING  THEORIES. 

I  find  many  theories  conflicting  with  these  views, 
which  appear  to  call  for  some  remarks.  It  is  generally 
supposed  that  a  young  queen  must  be  matured  to  is- 
sue with  the  swarms,  and  the  old  one  with  the  old 
bees  are  permanent  residents  of  the  old  hive. 

BOTH  OLD  AND    YOUNG    LEAVE    WITH    SWARMS. 

It  is  probable  that  no  rule  governs  the  issue  of  work- 
ers. Old  and  young  come  out  promiscuously.  That 
old  bees  come  out  may  be  known  sometimes,  by  so 
many  leaving,  that  not  a  quarter  as  many  will  be  left, 


SWARMING.  193 

as  commenced  work  in  the  spring.  That  young  bees 
leave,  any  one  may  be  satisfied  on  seeing  a  swarm 
issue ;  a  great  many  too  young  and  weak  to  fly 
will  drop  down  in  front  of  the  hive,  having  come  out 
now  for  the  first  time,  and  perhaps  some  of  them  had 
not  been  out  of  the  cell  an  hour ;  these  very  young 
bees  are  known  by  the  color. 

CAUSE    OF    THE    QUEEn's    INABILITY    TO    FLY    SUGGESTED. 

The  old  queen  often  gets  down  in  the  same  way ; 
but  I  would  assign  another  cause  for  her  inability  to 
fly ;  that  is,  I  would  suggest  it  to  be  her  burden  of 
eggs. 

EVIDENCE    OF    THE    OLD    QUEEn's  LEAVING, 

That  the  old  queen  does  leave  with  the  first  swarm 
is  indicated  by  several  things  :  one  is,  eggs  may  often 
be  found  on  the  board  the  next  morning ;  another, 
when  the  first  swarm  has  left,  and  before  any  of  these 
royal  cells  hatch,  the  bees  may  be  driven  out  and  no 
queen  will  be  found,  or  you  may  drive  out  the  bees  at 
the  end  of  three  weeks,  and  the  brood  of  workers  will 
be  about  all  hatched,  the  drone  brood  not  quite  as 
near.  The  combs  may  also  contain  some  eggs,  and 
perhaps  some  very  young  larvae,  that  have  been  de- 
posited by  the  young  queen,  which  begins  to  lay  usu- 
ally sixteen  or  eighteen  days  after'  the  first  swarm. 
This  shows  a  cessation  of  laying  eggs  for  about  two 
weeks.  First  swarms  will  have  eggs  in  the  cells  as 
soon  as  they  are  made  to  hold  them,  which  is  often 
within  24  hours  after  being  hived  ;  occasionally  a  new 
piece  of  comb  will  fall  down,  and,  if  the  cells  are  deep 
9 


194  SUMMER. 

enough,  they  are  almost  certain  to  contain  eggs.  I 
could  add  other  proof,  but  the  attentive  observer  will 
discover  it  himself. 

MR.    ^yEEKs'    THEORY    NOT    SATISFACTORT. 

Mr.  J.  M.  "Weeks,  in  his  work  on  bees,  says,  "  Two 
causes  and  two  only  can  bo  assigned  why  bees  ever 
swarm :  the  first,  the  crowded  state  of  the  hive ;  the 
second,  to  avoid  the  battle  of  the  queens."  The  first 
cause  producing  first  swarms,  the  other  second,  third, 
&c.  Mr.  Colton's  patent  hive,  it  is  said,  can  be  made 
to  swarm  "  at  any  time  within  two  days,"  merely  for 
want  of  room.  By  removing  the  six  boxes  attached 
to  it,  the  bees  are  compelled  to  crowd  into  the  main 
body  of  the  hive,  and  swarm  out  in  consequence. 
Now,  if  merely  crowding  the  hive  with  bees  is  the  only 
cause  of  first  swarms,  how  is  it  that  half  or  more  of 
mine  refused  to  swarm,  when  a  great  many,  for  want 
of  room,  were  crowded  outside  for  weeks,  and  great 
numbers  maturing  every  day  to  crowd  them  still  more  ? 
To  me  the  reason  is  plain,  that  some  of  the  before- 
mentioned  requisites  were  wanting.  Mr.  "Weeks  fur- 
ther says,  when  the  first  swarm  has  left,  ''  not  a  single 
queen,  in  any  stage  of  minority,  is  left  in  the  old  hive  ; 
the  bees,  destitute  of  a  queen,  set  about  constructing 
several  royal  cells,  take  larvae  or  eggs  and  put  in  them, 
and  feed  with  royal  jelly,  and  in  a  few  days  have  a 
queen."  Although  I  had  not  had  much  experience 
at  the  time  of  getting  his  work,  I  had  some  doubts,  be- 
cause I  found  that  all  hives  that  became  full  and  be- 
gan to  run  over,  did    not  swarm,   and  some  others 


SWARMING.  195 

swarmed  before  being  quite  full ;  it  seemed  as  if  some- 
thing like  a  preparation  beforehand  was  requisite.  I 
knew  of  no  means,  for  a  long  time,  that  would  decide 
positively  ;  when  it  occurred  to  me,  if  I  examined  the 
old  stock  immediately  after  the  first  swarm  had  left,  I 
should  find  some  preparations  if  there  were  any ;  a 
thing  so  simple  and  easy  that  I  felt  somewhat  morti- 
fied not  to  have  thought  of  it  before.  The  first  stock 
I  looked  at  revealed  the  secret.  I  examined  it  the 
evening  of  the  day  that  a  swarm  had  left ;  I  was  grat- 
ified by  finding  two  finished  cells  on  the  lower  edges 
of  the  combs ;  other  cells  were  in  different  stages  of 
progression,  from  those  containing  an  egg  to  the  full  de- 
veloped larva.  Several  more  hives  showed  the  same 
result.  I  now  got  bold  enough  to  examine  some  pre- 
vious to  swarming,  as  I  have  already  explained. 

MR.   MINER    NOT    CORRECT. 

Mr.  T.  B.  Miner,  in  his  work,  has  allowed  the  prep- 
aration of  queen  cells  previous  to  swarming,  but  he 
has  put  off  the  time  of  the  swarm  tissuing  eight  or  nine 
days  too  long.  That  is,  he  has  the  young  queen  ma- 
tured so  that  she  commences  piping  first,  which  does 
not  occur  more  than  one  time  in  fifty. 

Now  I  think  it  more  than  probable  that  many  read- 
ers will  have  some  doubts  in  regard  to  my  statements 
about  this  swarming  matter.  Yet  I  think  I  can  give 
directions  sufficiently  particular  that  they  may  remove 
them  themselves.  They  should  bear  in  mind  that 
they  have  no  right  to  he  positive  on  any  subject  with 
out  an  investigation. 


196  SUMMER. 

PARTICULAR  DIRECTIONS    FOR    TESTING    THE    MATTER. 

I  will  now  give  more  minute  directions  for  an  examina- 
tion. Full  hives  require  a  little  more  care  tlian  those 
containing  fewer  bees.  Don't  let  the  crowded  state 
of  the  hive,  even  if  some  are  outside,  deter  you 
from  gratifying  a  laudable  curiosity,  (such  hives  are 
most  likely  to  possess  these  cells.)  Let  the  satisfac- 
tion of  ascertaining  a  few  facts  for  yourselves  stimu- 
late you  to  this  exertion,  the  risk  is  not  much ;  what 
I  have  done  you  may  do.  This  is  better  than  to  rely  on 
any  man's  "  ipse  dixity  I  do  it  without  any  protection 
whatever  for  face  or  hands  ;  but,  if  you  have  too  much 
fear  of  stings,  a  veil  to  protect  the  face  may  be  put  on, 
but  do  without  it,  if  you  can  find  the  courage,  as  you 
will  want  a  good  view.  The  best  time  is,  when  most 
of  the  bees  are  out  at  work  near  the  middle  of  the  day  ; 
but  then  the  bees  from  the  other  hives  are  sometimes 
cross,  andinterfere.  On  that  account  I  prefer  morning  or 
evening,  although  there  are  more  bees  to  be  smoked 
out  of  the  way.  If  you  are  accustomed  to  smoking 
tobacco,  you  will  find  a  pipe  jiLst  the  thing  for  making 
a  smoke  here;  if  not,  vide  a  description  of  an  appara- 
tus in  chap.  18th,  p.  281.  When  you  are  ready  to 
proceed,  some  smoke  must  be  blown  under  the  hive 
before  you  touch  it ;  then  raise  the  front  side  a  few 
inches,  and  blow  in  some  more ;  now  carefully  lift  the 
hive  from  the  stand,  avoiding  any  jar,  as  this  would 
arouse  their  anger ;  turn  it  bottom  upwards  ;  also,  be 
careful  all  the  time  not  to  breathe  among  them.  More 
smoke  will  now  make  them  crowd  among  the  combs  out 
of  your  way  while  you  examine.    It  is  very  common  for 


SWARMING.  197 

the  bees  to  set  upabuzzing,  and  rush  up  the  sides  of  the 
hive,  but  a  little  smoke  will  drive  them  back  ;  get  them 
out  of  the  way  as  much  as  possible,  and  look  on  the 
edges  of  the  combs  for  the  queens'  cells,  where  most 
of  them  are.  If  the  hive  is  fully  supplied  with  honey, 
they  will  be  near  the  bottom,  if  not,  farther  up  among 
the  combs ;  in  some  hives  they  cannot  be  seen  even 
where  they  exist.  Yet  they  may  be  found  in  four  out 
of  five,  by  a  thorough  search.  I  have  found  nine  with- 
in two  inches  of  the  bottom,  some  on  the  extreme  ends 
''  of  the  comb.  I  would  here  give  a  caution  about  turn- 
ing over  hives  with  very  new  combs,  before  they  are 
attached  to  the  sides  of  the  hive,  as  they  are  apt  to 
bend  over. 

EMPTY  HIVES  TO  BE  READY. 

"We  will  now  suppose  that  some  of  your  stocks  are 
ready  to  cast  their  swarms  :  we  will  also  presume  that 
your  empty  hives  for  the  reception  of  swarms  are  ready 
before  this  period  ;  to  prepare  a  hive  after  the  swarm 
has  issued  is  bad  management ;  negligence  here  argues 
negligence  elsewhere ;  it  is  one  of  the  premonitions  of 
"  bad  luck." 

BOTTOM-BOARDS    FOR  HIVING. 

You  will  want  also  a  number  of  bottom-boards  ex- 
pressly for  hiving;  get  a  board  a  little  larger  than  the 
bottom  of  the  hive,  nail  strips  across  the  ends  on  the 
under  side  to  prevent  warping ;  in  the  middle  cut  out 
a  space  five  or  six  inches  square,  and  cover  with  wire 
cloth.  These  are  for  your  large  swarms  in  very  hot 
weather,  to  be  used  for  four  or  five  days.     They  are 


198  SUMMER. 

much  safer  than  to  raise  the  hive  an  inch  or  more  for 
ventilation.  They  are  also  essential  for  many  other 
occasions.  I  would  not  do  without  them,  even  if  the 
expense  was  ten  times  what  it  is. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  SWARM  ISSUING. 

When  the  day  is  fair  and  not  too  much  wind,  first 
swarms  generally  issue  from  ten  o'clock  till  three  ;  if 
you  are  on  the  lookout,  the  first  outside  indication  of 
a  swarm,  will  be  an  unusual  number  of  bees  around 
the  entrance,  from  one  to  sixty  minutes  before  they 
start.  The  utmost  confusion  seems  to  prevail,  bees 
running  about  in  every  direction ;  the  entrance  appa- 
rently closed  with  the  mass  of  bees,  (perhaps  one  ex- 
ception in  twenty,)  presently  a  column  from  the  inte- 
rior forces  a  passage  to  the  open  air;  they  come  rush- 
ing out  by  hundreds,  all  vibrating  their  wings  as  they 
march  out ;  and  when  a  few  inches  from  the  entrance, 
rise  in  the  air ;  some  run  up  the  side  of  the  hive,  others 
to  the  edge  of  the  bottom-board.  If  you  have  seen  the 
old  queen  come  rushing  put  the  first  one,  and  the  rest 
following  her,  as  we  are  often  told  she  does,  you  have 
seen  what  I  never  did  in  a  first  swarm  !  Second  and 
third  swarms  conduct  themselves  quite  differently.  I 
have  seen  the  old  queen  issue  a  few  times,  but  not  till 
half  the  swarm  was  out. 

The  bees  when  first  rising  from  the  hive,  describe 
circles  of  but  few  feet,  but  as  they  recede,  they  spread 
over  an  area  of  several  rods.  Their  movements  are 
much  slower  than  usual,  in  a  few  minutes  thousands 
may  be  seen  revolving  in  every  possible  direction  !  A 


SWARMING.  199 

swarm  may  be  seen  and  heard,  at  a  distance,  where 
fifty  hives,  ordinarily  at  work,  would  not  be  noticed  I 
When  about  out  of  the  hive,  or  soon  after,  some  branch 
of  a  tree  or  bush  is  usually  selected  on  which  to  clus- 
ter. In  less  than  half  a  minute  after  the  spot  is  indi- 
cated, even  when  the  bees  are  spread  over  an  acre, 
they  are  gathered  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  all 
cluster  in  a  body  from  five  to  ten  minutes  after  leaving 
the  hive.  They  should  now  be  hived  immediately,  as 
they  show  impatience  if  left  long,  especially  in  the  sun ; 
also,  if  another  stock  should  send  out  a  swarm  while 
they  were  hanging  there,  they  would  be  quite  sure  to 
mix  together. 

MANNER  OF  HIVING  CAN  BE  VARIED. 

It  makes  but  little  difference  what  way  they  are  put 
in  the  hive,  providing  they  are  all  made  to  go  in. 
Proceed  as  is  most  convenient ;  an  old  table  or  bench 
is  very  good  to  keep  them  out  of  the  grass  if  there 
should  happen  to  be  any ;  if  there  is  not  much  in  the 
way,  lay  your  bottom-board  on  the  ground,  make  it 
level,  set  your  hive  on  it,  and  raise  one  edge  an  inch 
or  more  to  give  the  bees  a  chance  to  enter. 

USUAL    METHOD. 

Cut  off  the  branch  with  the  bees,  if  it  can  be  done 
as  well  as  not,  and  shake  it  in  front  of  the  hive,  a  por- 
tion will  discover  it,  and  will  at  once  commence  a  vi- 
bration of  their  wings ;  this,  I  suppose,  is  a  call  for  the 
others.  A  knowledge  of  a  new  home  being  found 
seems  to  be  communicated  in  this  way,  as  it  is  kept  up 
until  all  are  in.     A  great  many  are  apt  to  stop  about 


200  SUMMER. 

the  entrance,  thereby  nearly  or  quite  closing  it,  and 
preventing  others  going  in,  when  they  will  gather  on 
the  outside.  You  can  expedite  the  matter  with  a  stick 
or  quill,  by  gently  pushing  them  away  ;  and  another 
portion  will  enter.  When  gentle  means  will  not  in- 
duce them  to  go  in,  in  a  reasonable  time,  and  they  ap- 
pear obstinate,  a  little  water  sprinkled  on  them  will 
facilitate  operations  greatly,  when  nothing  else  will. 
(Be  careful  and  not  over-do  the  matter,  by  using  too 
much  water,  they  can  be  so  wet  as  not  to  move  at  all.) 
When  they  cluster  on  a  branch  that  you  do  not 
wish  to  cut  off,  place  your  bottom-board  as  near  as 
convenient ;  on  it  lay  two  sticks  about  an  inch  in  di- 
ameter, of  the  same  length  ;  try  the  hive,  and  see  that 
all  is  right;  then  turn  it  bottom  up,  directly  under  the 
main  part  of  the  cluster;  if  you  have  an  assistant,  let 
him  jar  the  branch  sufl&ciently  to  detach  the  bees; 
most  of  them  will  fall  directly  into  the  hive.  If  no 
assistant  is  at  hand  it  is  unnecessary  to  wait,  (I  have 
done  it  a  hundred  tim  es  without  help);  with  the  bot- 
tom of  the  hive  strike  the  under  side  of  the  branch 
hard  enough  to  dislodge  them,  then  turn  it  on  the 
board ;  the  sticks  will  prevent  the  bottom  crushing 
many  bees. 

WHEN  OUT  OF   REACH. 

I  have  gone  up  a  ladder  fifteen  feer,  got  the  bees 
in  the  hive  in  this  way,  and  backed  down  without 
difficulty.  After  putting  the  hive  in  its  place,  some- 
times a  part  will  go  back ;  in  that  case,  a  small  branch 
full  of  leaves  should  be  held  directly  under  and  close 


SWARMING.  201 

to  them,  and  as  many  jarred  on  it  as  possible.  Hold 
this  still,  and  shake  the  other  to  prevent  their 
clustering  there;  you  will  soon  have  them  all  col- 
lected, ready  to  bring  down,  and  put  by  the  hive.  A 
handle  basket  or  large  tin  pan  may  be  taken  up  the 
ladder  instead  of  the  hive,  when  they  can  be  readily 
emptied  before  it.  But  very  few  will  fly  out  in  coming 
down.  If  you  succeed  in  getting  nearly  all  the  bees 
in  the  first  effort,  and  but  few  are  left,  merely  shaking 
the  branch  will  be  sufiicient  to  prevent  their  holding 
fast,  and  will  turn  their  attention  to  those  below, 
where  those  which  have  already  found  a  hive  will  be 
doing  their  best  to  call  them.  When  the  hive  is  first 
turned  over,  most  of  the  bees  fall  on  the  board  and 
rush  out,  but  as  soon  as  it  is  realized  that  a  home  is 
found,  a  buzzing  commences  inside ;  this  quicMy  com- 
municates the  fact  to  those  outside,  which  immediate- 
ly turn  about,  facing  the  hive  and  hum  in  concert, 
while  marching  in. 

Another  plan  may  be  adopted,  even  if  fifteen  feet 
high ;  when  the  branch  is  not  too  large,  and  there  is 
not  too  much  in  the  way  below  it.  Have  ready  two 
or  three  light  poles  of  suitable  length ;  select  such  as 
have  a  branch  at  the  upper  end,  large  enough  to  hold 
a  two-bushel  basket.  This  is  raised  directly  under  the 
swarm ;  with  another  pole,  the  bees  are  all  dislodged, 
and  fall  into  the  basket,  and  are  quickly  let  down. 
Now,  if  you  have  got  about  all,  throw  a  sheet  over 
for  a  few  moments,  to  prevent  their  escape.  They 
soon    become    quiet,    and    may   be    hived    without 


9* 


202  SUMMER. 

many  going  back  to  the  bransh,  as  they  do,  when  at- 
tempting to  hive  them  immediately. 

I  often  have  them  begin  to  cluster  near  the  ground, 
very  convenient!}^  for  hiving.  In  such  a  case,  I  do 
not  wait  for  all  to  collect,  but  as  soon  as  such  place 
is  indicated,  I  get  the  board  and  hive  ready.  When  a 
quart  or  so  are  gathered,  shake  them  in  a  hive,  and 
set  it  up ;  the  swarm  will  now  go  to  that,  instead  of 
the  branch,  especially  if  the  latter  is  shaken  a  little. 
"Where  many  stocks  are  kept,  it  is  advisable  to  be  as 
expeditious  as  possible.  A  swarm  will  thus  hive 
itself  much  sooner  than  when  it  is  allowed  to  cluster. 

WHEN  THEY  CANNOT  BE  SHAKEN  OFF. 

Swarms  will  sometimes  get  in  places  where  it  is 
impossible  to  jar  them  off,  or  cut  off  a  branch,  such 
as  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  a  large  limb  near  it.  In 
which  case  place  the  hive  near,  as  first  directed  ;  take 
a  large  tin  dipper,  a  vessel  most  convenient  for  the 
purpose,  and  dip  it  full  of  bees  ;  with  one  hand  turn 
back  the  hive  ;  with  the  other  throw  the  bees  into  it; 
some  of  them  will  discover  that  a  home  is  provided, 
and  set  up  the  call  for  the  rest,  (by  the  vibration  of 
their  wings),  and  the  remainder  may  be  emptied  in 
front  of  the  hive  as  you  dip  them  off.  I  have  known 
a  few  instances  when  the  first  dipper  full  all  ran  out, 
and  joined  the  others  without  making  the  discovery 
that  they  were  in  a  hive,  but  this  is  seldom  the  case. 
When  you  get  the  queen  in,  there  is  no  trouble  with 
the  remainder,  even  if  there  are  many  left ;  as  soon  a? 


SWARMING.  203 

they  ascertain  that  the  queen  is  no  longer  among 
them,  it  may  be  known  by  their  uneasy  movements, 
and  they  will  soon  leave,  and  join  those  in  the  hive ; 
but  if  the  queen  is  yet  on  the  tree,  and  but  a  dozen 
with  her,  they  will  leave  the  hive  and  cluster  again. 

ALL  SHOULD  BE  MADE  TO  ENTER. 

In  all  cases  be  sure  to  get  them  all  to  enter ;  a  clus- 
ter outside  of  it  may  contain  the  queen,  unconscious  of 
a  home  so  near  ;  and  the  probable  consequence  might 
be,  she  would  leave  for  a  miserable  one  in  the  woods. 

SHOULD  BE  TAKEN  TO  THE  STAND  IMMEDIATELY. 

When  all  are  in,  except  a  few  that  will  be  flying, 
let  the  hive  down  close  to  the  board ;  take  hold  of 
this  and  carry  it  at  once  to  the  stand  they  are  to  oc- 
cupy, and  raise  the  front  edge  half  an  inch ;  let  the 
back  rest  on  the  board  ;  this  will  give  them  means  to 
re-ascend,  if  they  chance  to  drop,  which  large  swarms 
often  do  in  hot  weather.  If  the  bottom  is  an  inch  or 
more  from  the  board  when  the  bees  fall,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  prevent  their  rushing  out  on  every  side — their 
means  of  getting  up  again  are  bad — if  the  queen  comes 
out  with  the  rush,  there  are  some  chances  for  their 
leaving. 

PROTECTION  FROM  THE  SUN    NECESSARY. 

Another  thing  is  very  important ;  sivarms  should  he 
protected  from  the  sun  for  several  days,  in  hot  weather, 
from  nine  o'clock  till  three  or  four  ;  and  then  if  the 
heat  is  very  oppressive,  and  the  bees  cluster  outside. 


204  SUMMER. 

sprinkle  them  with  water  and  drive  them  in ;  and  by 
wetting  the  hive  occasionally,  it  will  carry  off  a  large 
portion  of  the  heat,  and  make  it  much  more  comfort- 
able. 

CLUSTERING  BUSHES. 

If  there  are  no  large  trees  in  the  vicinity  of  your 
apiary,  all  the  better,  as  there  will  then  be  no  danger  of 
your  swarms  lighting  on  them ;  but  all  bee-keepers  are 
not  so  fortunate,  myself  being  one  of  the  number.  In 
such  a  place  it  is  necessary  to  provide  something  for 
them  to  cluster  on ;  get  some  bushes  six  or  eight  feet 
'high  (hemlock  is  preferable) ;  cut  off  the  ends  of  the 
branches,  except  a  few  near  the  top  ;  secure  the  whole 
with  strings  to  prevent  swaying  in  ordinary  winds; 
make  a  hole  in  the  earth  deep  enough  to  hold  them, 
and  large  enough  to  be  lifted  out  easily.  The  bees 
will  be  likely  to  cluster  on  some  of  these ;  they  can 
then  be  raised  out,  and  the  bees  hived  without  diffi- 
culty. A  bunch  of  dry  iJiHllein  tops  tied  together  on 
the  end  of  a  pole,  makes  a  very  good  place  for  clus- 
tering ;  it  so  nearly  resembles  a  swarm  that  the  bees 
themselves  appear  to  be  sometimes  deceived.  I  have 
frequently  known  them  leave  a  branch  where  they 
had  begun  to  cluster,  and  settle  on  this  when  held 
near. 

The  motives  for  immediately  removing  the  swarm 
to  the  stand  are,  that  they  are  generally  more  con- 
venient to  watch  in  case  they  are  disposed  to  leave ; 
also  many  bees  can  be  saved.  All  that  leave  the  hive, 
mark  the  location  the  same  as  in  spring ;  several  bun- 


SWARMING.  205 

dreds  will  probably  leave  the  first  day ;  a  few  may 
leave  several  times ;  when  removed  at  night,  such  will 
return  to  the  stand  of  the  previous  day,  and  general- 
ly are  lost ;  whereas,  if  they  are  carried  at  once  to  a 
permanent  stand,  this  loss  4s  avoided. 

Those  that  are  left  flying  at  the  time,  return  to  the 
old  stock,  which  those  that  return  from  the  swarm  the 
next  day  will  not  always  do.  The  time  for  moving 
them  now  is  no  more  than  at  another.  It  is  unneces- 
sary to  object,  and  say,  that  "  it  will  take  too  long  to 
wait  for  the  bees  to  get  in  ;"  this  will  not  do.  I  shall 
insist  on  your  getting  all  the  bees  to  enter  before  leav- 
ing any  way.  I  consider  this  an  essential  feature  in 
the  management.  I  will  not  say  that  my  directions 
will  always  prevent  their  going  to  the  woods,  but  this 
I  do  say,  that  out  of  the  hundreds  that  I  have  hived, 
not  one  has  ever  left.  It  is  possible  proper  manage- 
ment has  had  no  influence  in  my  success,  yet  some- 
thing like  an  opinion  of  this  kind  has  been  indulged 
for  a  long  time. 

HOW  SWARMS  ARE  GENERALLY  MANAGED  THAT  LEAVE  FOR 
THE  WOOBS. 

Some  of  my  neighboring  bee-keepers  lose  a  quarter 
or  half  of  their  swarms  by  flight,  and  how  do  they 
manage  ?  When  the  word  is  given  out,  "  Bees  swarm- 
ing," a  tin-horn,  tin-pan,  bells,  or  anything  to  make  a 
''horrible  din,"  is  seized  upon  in  the  hurry  of  the 
moment,  and  as  much  noise  made  as  possible,  to  mahe 
them  cluster ;  (which  they  naturally  would  do  without 
tho  music,  at  least  all  mine  have.     This  probably  gave 


206  SUMMER. 

rise  to  the  opinion  of  one  old  lady,  who  knew  "  drum- 
ming on  a  pan  did  good,  for  she  had  tried  it.")  "Very 
often  a  hive  is  to  be  constructed,  or  an  old  one  unfit 
to  use  any  way,  needs  some  sticks  across,  or  some- 
thing to  take  time.  When  the  hive  is  obtained,  it 
must  be  washed  with  something  nice  to  make  the  bees 
like  it ;  a  little  honey  must  be  daubed  on  the  inside  ; 
sugar  and  water,  molasses  and  water,  salt  and  water,  or 
salt  and  water  rubbed  on  with  hickory  leaves,  "is  the 
best  thing  in  the  world;"  several  other  things  are  just 
as  good,  and  some  are  better.  Even  whisky,  that  bane 
of  man,  has  been  offered  them  as  a  bribe  to  stay,  and 
sometimes  they  are  persuaded  and  go  to  work.  Now 
I  cannot  saj''  positively  that  these  things  do  harm,  yet 

NOTHING    BUT    BEES    NEEDED    IN    A    HIVE. 

I  am  quite  sure  they  do  no  good,  as  nothing  but  bees 
is  needed  in  a  hive.  Is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  they 
are  fond  of  all  the  ''knick-knacks"  given  them?  I 
have  never  used  any,  and  could  not  possibly  have 
done  better.  I  am  careful  to  have  the  hive  sweet  and 
clean,  and  not  too  smooth  inside ;  an  old  hive  that  has 
been  used  before  is  scalded  and  scraped. 

But  to  the  manner  they  get  the  bees  in,  after  the 
hive  is  ready.  A  table  is  set  out,  and  a  cloth  spread 
on  it ;  sticks  are  put  on  to  raise  the  hive  an  inch  or 
more ;  if  they  succeed  in  getting  the  swarm  even  on 
the  outside  of  the  hive  it  is  left ;  if  they  go  in,  it  is 
well;  if  the}'  go  off,  why  hope  for  "better  luck 
next  time."  The  hive  is  left  unsheltered  in  the  hot 
sun,  and  when  there  is  no  wind,  the  heat  is  soon  in- 


SWARMING.  207 

supportable,  or  at  least  very  oppressive ;  the  bees  hang 
in  loose  strings,  instead  of  a  compact  body,  as  when 
kept  cool ;  they  are  very  apt  to  fall,  and  when  they 
do,  will  rush  out  from  every  side :  if  the  queen 
chances  to  drop  with  them,  they  may  "  step  out." 
Two  thirds  of  all  the  bees  that  go  to  the  woods  are 
managed  in  this,  or  a  similar  manner,  and  may  it  not 
be  said,  they  are  fairly  driven  off? 

SELDOM    GO    OFF    WITHOUT    CLUSTERING. 

Perhaps  one  swarm  in  three  hundred  will  depart 
for  the  woods  without  first  clustering.  I  have  had 
three  times  that  number,  not  one  of  which  has  ever 
left  me  thus.  Yet  I  have  evidence  not  to  be  disputed 
that  some  will  do  it.  Three  instances  have  occurred 
near  me  that  satisfied  me  of  the  fact.  Two  were  lost, 
the  other  was  followed  to  a  tree,  half  a  mile  off;  I 
assisted  in  cutting  the  tree,  and  hiving  them.  The 
cavity  where  they  entered  was  very  small,  and  con- 
tained old  comb,  made  by  a  swarm  a  year  or  two  pre- 
vious, which  had  probably  starved,  as  there  was  too 
little  room  for  storing  sufficient  honey  for  winter. 
This  swarm,  when  hived  and  carried  home,  remained 
perfectly  contented. 

DO    SWARMS    CHOOSE    A    LOCATION    BEFORE    SWARMING  1 

The  inquiry  is  often  made.  Do  all  swarms  have  a 
place  looked  out  before  leaving  the  parent  stock? 
The  answer  to  this  must  ever  be  guess-work.  I  could 
offer  some  circumstances  indicating  the  afl&rmative 
\ery  strongly,  and  as  much  for  the  negative ;   and 


208  SUMMER. 

will  let  it  pass  at  that.  Yet  I  think  if  bees  are  pro- 
perly cared  for,  that  ninety-nine  swarms  in  a  hundred 
will  prefer  a  good  clean  hive  to  a  rotten  tree  in  the 
woods. 

MEANS    OF    ARRESTING   A    SWARM. 

I  have  had  three  swarms  that  were  exceptions  to 
general  rules,  giving  me  some  trouble  by  swarming 
out  after  being  hived  ;  the  third  and  fourth  time  they 
left,  I  threw  water  among  them,  causing  quite  a 
shower;  when  my  pail-full  was  out,  I  used  earth; 
they  went  but  a  short  distance,  and  clustered  in  the 
usual  way.  Now  were  these  bees  intending  to  leave, 
and  had  their  designs  frustrated  by  the  water  and 
earth  ?  I  am  not  quite  as  sure  as  the  old  lady,  who 
knew  that  "drumming  on  a  tin-pan  did  good,"  but  I 
am  inclined  to  think  it  had  some  effect.  I  have  heard 
of  several  instances  where  swarms  were  apparently 
stopped,  by  having  earth  thrown  among  them,  while 
passing  over  a  field  where  men  werQ  at  work.  We 
know  they  dislike  being  wet,  as  we  see  them  hasten- 
ing home  on  the  approach  of  a  shower ;  or  we  can  at 
any  time  drive  them  in  the  hive  by  sprinkling  them 
with  water.  Throwing  water  in  the  swarm  is  a  kind 
of  imitation  shower,  and  earth  is  something  like  it. 
Whether  useful  or  not,  these  swarms  leaving  the  hive 
was  rather  suspicious,  and  I  should  try  it  again  under 
similar  circumstances. 

SOME    COMPULSION. 

After  getting  them  in  the  hive  for  the  fourth  time, 


SWARMING.  209 

I  resolved  not  to  be  baffled  or  have  mucli  more  such, 
trouble,  and  perhaps  go  to  the  woods  at  last,  thereby 
setting  a  bad  example.  I  put  under  the  hive  the 
wire-cloth  bottom-board,  opened  two  or  three  holes 
on  the  top,  and  covered  these  also  with  wire-cloth, 
(this  was  to  let  the  air  circulate)  ;  a  quantity  of  honey 
and  water  was  given  them  and  they  were  then  carried 
to  the  cellar,  and  kept  prisoners  four  days,  except 
half  an  hour  before  sunset ;  when  too  late  to  leave 
for  a  journey,  I  set  them  out  to  provide  a  few  neces- 
saries, and  then  returned  them  to  the  cellar.  In  four 
days,  when  honey  enough  is  given  them,  a  good  swarm 
will  half  fill  an  ordinary  hive  with  combs.  Some  of 
the  first  eggs  deposited  will  be  about  hatching  into 
larvae,  all  of  which  would  seem  like  too  much  to  leave. 
I  now  set  them  out,  and  gave  them  libert}^ ;  shading 
the  hive,  &c.,  as  before  directed.  They  all  proved 
faithfal  and  industrious,  prospering  like  others.  If 
their  design  was  for  a  distant  location,  they  put  a  good 
face  on  the  matter  in  the  end. 

HOW    FAR    WILL    THEY    GO    IN    SEARCH    OF    A   HOME? 

How  far  they  will  travel  in  search  of  a  home,  is  also 
uncertain.  'I  have  heard  of  their  going  seven  miles, 
but  could  not  learn  how  the  fact  was  proved.  I  have 
no  experience  of  my  own  in  this  matter,  but  will  re- 
late a  circumstance  that  happened  near  me  a  few 
years  since.  A  neighbor  was  ploughing,  when  a  swarm 
passed  over  him;  being  near  the  earth,  he  "pelted 
them  heartily"  with  the  loose  dirt  he  had  ploughed  up, 
which  seemed  to  bring  them  up,  or  rather  down,  as 


210  SUMMER. 

they  clustered  on  a  very  low  bush  ;  they  were  hived, 
and  gave  no  further  trouble.  A  man  living  some 
three  miles  from  this  neighbor,  on  that  day  hived  a 
swarm  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  left  them  to  warm 
up  in  the  sun  as  described  a  page  or  two  back ;  about 
three  o'clock  their  stock  of  patience  was  probably  ex- 
hausted, when  they  resolved  to  seek  a  better  shelter. 
They  put  off  in  a  great  hurry,  not  even  waiting  to 
thank  their  owner  for  the  spread  on  his  table,  and  the 
sweet-scented  "yarbs"  and  good  things  with  which  he 
had  rubbed  their  hive.  They  gave  him  no  notice 
whatever  of  their  intention  to  "quit,"  until  they  were 
moving!  With  all  their  goods  ready  packed,  they 
were  soon  under  way,  accompanied  by  their  owner 
with  music ;  but  whether  they  marched  with  martial 
precision,  keeping  time,  is  uncertain.  In  this  case 
the  bees  took  the  lead ;  the  man  with  his  tin-pan  mu- 
sic kept  the  rear,  and  was  soon  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance. They  were  either  not  in  a  mood,  just  then,  to 
be  charmed  by  melodious  sounds,  or  their  business 
was  too  urgent  to  allow  them  to  stop  and  listen  1 
Their  means  of  locomotion  being  superior  to  his,  he 
gave  up  in  despair,  out  of  breath,  after  following 
about  a  mile.  Another  person,  about  the  same  time 
in  the  day,  saw  a  swarm  moving  in  the  same  direction 
of  the  first ;  he  also  followed  them  till  compelled  to 
yield  to  their  greater  travelling  facilities.  A  third 
discovered  their  flight  and  attempted  a  race,  but  like 
the  others  soon  came  out  behind.  The  before-men- 
tioned neighbor  saw  them,  and  thought  of  the  fresh 
earth   that    he  had    ploughed    up,   which  he  threw 


SWAKMING.  211 

among  them  till  they  stopped.  How  much  farther 
they  would  have  gone,  if  any,  would  be  guessing. 
That  it  was  the  same  swarm  that  started  three  miles 
away,  appears  almost  certain ;  the  direction  was  the 
same  as  seen  by  all,  until  they  were  stopped  ;  the  time 
in  the  day  also  exactly  corresponded. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  issuing  of  the  swarms. 
There  will  be  some  emergencies  to  provide  for,  and 
some  exceptions  to  notice. 

TWO  OR  MORE  SWARMS  LIABLE  TO  UNITE. 

If  we  expect  to  keep  many  stocks,  the  chances  are 
that  two  or  more  may  issue  at  one  time ;  and  when  they 
do,  they  nearly  always  cluster  together  (I  once  knew 
an  instance  where  only  three  stocks  were  kept ;  they 
all  swarmed  and  clustered  together).  It  is  plain  that 
the  greater  the  number  of  stocks,  the  more  such 
chances  are  multiplied. 

DISADVANTAGE. 

One  first  swarm,  if  of  the  usual  size,  will  contain 
bees  enough  for  profit,  yet  two  such  will  work  together 
without  quarrelling,  and  will  store  about  one-third 
more  than  either  would  alone ;  that  is,  if  each  single 
swarm  would  get  50  lbs.,  the  two  together  would  not 
get  over  70  lbs.,  perhaps  less.  Here,  then,  is  a  loss 
of  80  lbs.,  besides  one  of  the  swarms  is  about  lost  for 
another  year;  because  such  double  swarms  are  not 
generally  any  better  the  next  spring  as  a  stock,  and 
often  not  as  good  as  a  single  one.  You  will  therefore 
see  the  advantage  of  keeping  the  first  swarms 
separate. 


212  SUMMER. 

CAN  OFTEN  BE  PREVENTED. 

"  Prevention  is  better  than  cure,"  We  can,  if  we 
keep  a  good  lookout,  often  prevent  more  thaa  one 
issuing  at  a  time.  This  depends  on  our  knowledge 
of  indications,  in  a  great  measure.  I  have  said  that 
before  starting  to  fly  off,  they  were  about  the  entrance 
in  great  numbers;  there  may  be  one  exception  in 
twenty,  where  the  first  indications  will  be  a  column 
of  bees  rushing  from  the  hive.  To  take  this  matter 
a  little  farther  from  the  surface,  we  will  take  a  peep 
at  the  interior;  that  is,  if  our  hives  contain  glass 
boxes,  such  as  have  been  recommended.  It  is  an  ad- 
vantage to  know  which  are  about  to  cast  their  swarms, 
as  long  beforehand  as  possible. 

INDICATIONS  OF  SWARMING  INSIDE  THE  HIVE. 

These  glass  boxes  are  usually  filled  with  bees ;  be- 
fore leaving  they  may  be  seen  in  commotion,  long 
before  any  unusual  stir  is  visible  outside,  sometimes 
for  near  an  hour.  The  same  may  be  noticed  in  a 
glass  hive.  Now,  in  good  weather,  when  we  have 
reason  to  expect  many  swarms,  it  is  our  duty  to  watch 
closely,  especially  when  the  weather  has  been  unfa- 
vorable for  several  days  previous,  A  number  of 
stocks  may  have  finished  their  queen-cells  during  the 
bad  weather,  and  be  ready  to  come  out  within  the 
first  hour  of  sunshine  that  occurs  in  the  middle  of 
the  day.  We  must  expect  some  such  occurrences, 
and  in  large  apiaries  there  is  apt  to  be  trouble,  unless 
you  take  some  precautions.  If  you  have  taken  no 
care  (which  but  few  will),  by  previous  examinations, 


SWARMING.  213 

to  know  which  are  ready,  as  soon  as  one  has  started 
or  commenced  flying,  look  at  all  the  rest  that  are  in 
condition  to  swarm ;  or,  what  is  much  better,  look  be- 
fore any  have  started.  Even  if  nothing  unusual  is  seen 
about  the  entrance,  raise  the  cover  to  the  boxes.  If 
the  bees  in  them  are  all  quiet  as  usual,  no  swarm 
need  be  immediately  apprehended,  and  you  will 
probably  have  time  to  hive  one  or  two  first. 

PREVEKTING  A  SWARM  ISSUING  FOR  A  TIME. 

But  should  you  discover  the  bees  running  to  and 
fro  in  great  commotion,  although  there  may  be  but 
few  about  the  entrance,  you  should  lose  no  time  in 
sprinkling  those  outside  with  water  from  a  watering- 
pot,  or  other  means.  They  will  immediately  enter 
the  hive  to  avoid  the  supposed  shower.  In  half  an 
hour  they  will  be  ready  to  start  again,  in  which  time 
the  others  may  be  secured.  I  have  had,  in  one  apiary, 
twelve  hives  all  ready  in  one  day,  and  did  actually 
swarm ;  several  of  which  would  have  started  at  once, 
had  they  not  been  kept  back  with  water,  allowing 
only  one  at  a  time,  thus  keeping  them  separate. 
They  had  been  kept  back  by  the  clouds,  which  broke 
away  about  noon. 

TO  PREVENT  SWARMS  UNITING  WITH  THOSE  ALREADY  HIVED. 

When  any  of  the  subsequent  swarms  were  disposed 
to  unite  with  those  already  hived,  a  sheet  was  thrown 
over  to  keep  them  out.  I  had  four  so  covered  at  once. 
An  assistant,  in  such  cases,  is  very  important ;  one 
can  watch  symptoms  and  keep  them  back,  while  the 
other  hives  the  swarms. 


214  SUMMER. 

Occasionally,  when  ready  for  a  swarm  and  waiting 
for  one  to  start,  two  may  do  so  at  once.  Whenever  a 
part  have  got  on  the  wing,  I  never  succeeded  in  stop- 
ping the  issue :  consequently  I  have  found  it  useless 
trying  to  drive  or  coax  them  back  in  such  cases.  To 
succeed,  the  means  must  be  used  in  season,  before  any 
of  the  swarm  leaves. 

WHEN    TWO    HAVE    UNITED,    THE    METHOD    OF  SEPARATING. 

Two  or  more  swarms  will  cluster  together,  and  not 
quarrel,  if  put  in  one  hive ;  I  have  already  told  you 
the  disadvantages.  Unless  business  is  very  urgent, 
your  time  cannot  be  better  employed  than  in  dividing 
them.  First,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  a  good  stock 
of  patience,  as  it  may  be  a  short  job,  or  it  may  be  a 
long  one.  Get  two  empty  hives,  and  divide  the  bees 
as  nearly  equal  as  possible.  It  is  generally  the  best 
way  to  spread  a  sheet  on  the  ground,  and  shake  the 
bees  in  the  centre,  and  set  the  hives  each  side  of  the 
mass,  their  edges  raised  to  allow  the  bees  to  enter ;  if 
too  many  are  disposed  to  enter  one  hive,  set  it  farther 
off.  If  they  cluster  in  a  situation  where  they  cannot 
be  got  to  the  earth  in  a  body,  they  must  be  dipped  off 
as  before  directed,  but,  in  this  case,  putting  a  dipper 
full  in  each  hive  alternately,  until  all  are  in.  They 
should  be  made  to  hurry  some  in  going  in  ;  keep  the 
entrance  clear,  and  stir  them  up  often  ;  or  sprinkle  a 
very  little  water  on  them,  as  they  should  not  be  al- 
lowed to  stop  their  humming  until  all  are  in.  We 
have  one  chance  in  two  of  getting  a  queen  in  each. 
The  two  hives  should  now  be  placed  twenty  feet  apart ; 


SWAKMING.  215 

if  there  is  a  queen  in  each,  the  bees  in  both  will  re- 
main quiet,  and  the  work  is  done  ;  but  if  not,  the  bees 
in  the  one  destitute  will  soon  manifest  it  by  running 
about  in  all  directions,  and,  when  the  queen  cannot  be 
found,  will  leave  for  the  other  hive,  where  there  are 
probably  two,  a  few  going  at  a  time.  Now  there  are 
two  or  three  methods  of  separating  these  queens  ;  one 
is,  to  empty  the  bees  out  and  proceed  as  before,  a  kind 
of  chance  game,  that  may  succeed  at  the  next  trial,  and 
may  have  to  be  repeated.  Another  way  is,  that,  as 
soon  as  it  is  ascertained  which  is  mthout  a  queen,  be- 
fore many  bees  leave,  spread  down  a  sheet ;  set  this 
hive  on  it,  and  tie  the  corners  over  the  top  to  secure 
the  bees  for  the  present,  turn  the  hive  on  its  side  for 
the  present  to  give  them  air ;  or  it  may  be  let  down 
on  a  wire  cloth  bottom-board  and  the  hole  in  the  side 
stopped,  and  this  would  be  less  likely  to  smother  the 
bees,  if  it  could  be  secured  to  the  bottom,  and  have 
the  hive  lie  on  its  side ;  when  this  division  is  se- 
cured, get  another  hive,  and  jar  out  those  with  the 
queens ;  let  them  enter  as  before,  and  then  set  them 
apart,  &c.,  watching  the  result ;  if  the  queens  are  not 
yet  separate,  it  will  be  known  by  the  same  appear- 
ances. The  process  must  be  continued  till  separate, 
or  the  number  with  the  queens  may  be  easily  looked 
over,  and  one  of  them  found  ;  indeed,  a  sharp  lookout 
should  be  kept  up  from  the  beginning,  and  the  queens 
caught,  if  possible. 

NO    DANGER    OF    A    STING    BY    THB     QUEEN. 

No  danger  of  her  sting  need  be  apprehended,  as  she 


216  SUMMER. 

will  not  demean  herself  to  use  that  for  a  common  foe; 
she  must  have  a  royal  antagonist.  When  successful  in 
obtaining  one,  it  is  sufficient ;  put  her  in  a  tumbler  or 
some  safe  place;  then  put  your  bees  in  two  hives, 
place  them  as  directed,  and  you  will  soon  learn  where 
your  queen  is  needed.  After  all  is  done,  the  two  hives 
should  not  be  nearer  than  twenty  feet,  at  least  the  first 
day  ;  perhaps  forty  would  be  still  better.  When  two 
swarms  are  mixed,  and  then  separated,  it  is  evident 
that  a  portion  of  each  swarm  must  be  in  both  hives. 
A  queen  in  each  must  of  course  be  a  stranger  to  at 
least  a  part  of  the  bees ;  these  might,  if  their  own 
mother  was  too  near,  discover  her,  and  leave  the  stran- 
ger for  an  old  acquaintance,  and,  in  the  act  of  going, 
call  or  attract  the  whole  with  them,  including  the 
queen.  I  have  known  a  few  instances  of  the  kind.  If 
you  are  disposed  to  separate  them,  but  are  afraid  to 
work  among  them  to  this  extent  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  or  if  there  is  danger  of  more  issuing,  to  mix  with 
them,  and  add  to  your  perplexit}'-,  of  which  you  al- 
ready have  enough,  then  you  can  hive  them  as  a  single 

SOME    PRECAUTIONS    IN    HIVING    TWO    SWARMS     TOGETHER. 

swarm  ;  but,  instead  of  a  bottom-board,  invert  an  empty 
hive  and  set  the  one  with  the  swarm  on  this,  and  insert  a 
wedge  between  them,  for  ventilation.  As  many  bees 
are  liable  to  drop  dOwn,  in  this  case  the  lower  hive 
will  catch  them,  and  there  is  less  danger  of  leaving. 
Let  them  remain  till  near  sunset,  when  anothei 
course  may  be  taken  to  find  a  queen,  though  by  that 
time  one  is  sometimes  killed ;  yet  it  is  well  to  know 


SWAKMING.  217 

the  fact.     Take  them  to  some  place  out  of  the  sun,  as 
a  less  number  will  fly  during  the  operation. 

now    TO    FIND    QUEEN,    WHEN    TWO    STRANGERS  ARE  TOGETHER. 

First,  look  into  the  lower  hive  for  a  dead  queen,  and, 
if  none  is  found  there,  look  thoroughly,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, for  a  little  compact  cluster  of  bees,  the  size  of  a 
hen's  egg,  that  may  be  rolled  about  without  separat- 
ing<  Secure  this  cluster  in  a  tumbler  ;  it  is  quite  sure 
one  of  the  queens  is  a  prisoner  in  the  middle  ;*  should 
two  be  seen,  get  both.  Then  divide  the  bees,  and  give 
the  one  destitute,  a  queen  ;  or,  if  you  have  two,  one  to 
each,  as  the  case  may  be.  It  would  be  well  first  to 
see  if  the  queen  was  alive,  by  removing  the  bees  from 
about  her.  But  should  you  find  nothing  of  the  kind, 
spread  a  sheet  on  the  ground,  shake  the  bees  on  one 
end  of  it,  and  set  the  hive  on  the  other  ;  they  will  im- 
mediately begin  a  march  for  the  hive.  You  may  now 
see  the  cluster,  and  may  not;  but  they  will  spread  out 
in  marching,  and  give  a  good  chance  to  see  her  ma- 
jesty, when  a  tumbler  is  the  most  convenient  thing  to 
set  over  her.     No  matter  if  a  few  bees  are  shut  up 

"■  All  stranger  queens,  introduced  into  a  stock  or  swarm,  are  secured 
and  detained  in  this  manner  by  the  workers,  but  whether  they  dispatch 
them,  or  this  is  a  means  adopted  to  incite  them  to  a  deadly  conflict, 
writers  do  not  agree,  and  I  shall  not  attempt  a  decision,  as  I  never 
saw  the  bees  voluntarily  release  a  queen  thus  confined.  But  I  have 
seen  queens,  when  no  bees  interfered,  rush  together  in  a  fatal  rencoun- 
ter, and  one  of  them  was  soon  left  a  fallen  victim  of  the  contest.  'Tia 
said  it  never  happens  that  both  are  killed  in  these  battles, — perhaps 
not.  As  I  never  saw  quite  all  of  these  royal  combats,  of  course  I  can- 
not decide. 

10 


218  SUMMER. 

with  her,  there  is  no  risk,  then,  in  your  eagerness  to 
get  the  queen,  of  taking  hold  of  a  worker  or  two.  A 
piece  of  window-glass  can  be  slipped  under,  and  you 
have  her  safe,  and  by  this  time  you  will  know  what  is 
to  be  done  next.  This  operation  could  not  well  be 
done  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  or  in  the  sun,  as  too 
many  bees  would  be  flying,  and  greatly  interfere. 

Should  you  fail  in  finding  a  queen,  and  cannot  suc- 
ceed in  making  a  division  in  consequence,  or  should 
you  resolve,  from  want  of  time,  patience  or  energy,  to 
let  them  remain  together  in  the  beginning,  it  is  un- 
necessary to  get  a  hive  any  larger  than  usual  for 
two  swarms;  they  mil  certainly  find  room  by  cold 
weather ;  if  more  than  two,  they  should  be  divided  by  all 
means  ;  it  will  be  a  disadvantage  for  another  year. 
For  the  first  four  days,  when  two  large  swarms  are 
together,  it  is  necessary  to  keep  an  inverted  hive  un- 
der them,  but  much  longer  it  would  not  do,  as  they 
might  extend  their  combs  into  the  lower  hive. 

BOXES    FOR    DOUBLE    SWARMS   IMMEDIATELY. 

It  should  then  be  taken  out,  and  boxes  immediately 
put  on,  which  should  be  changed  for  empty  ones,  as 
fast  as  they  are  filled.  Yet,  this  extra  honey  is  not 
quite  as  much  advantage  as  increase  of  stocks ;  when 
that  is  an  object,  I  will  recommend  another  dispo- 
sition. 

RETURNING  A  PART  TO  THE  OLD  STOCK. 

Separate  one-third  or  more  of  the  two  swarmb,  being 
sure  there  is  no  queen  with  this  part,  (by  the  test 
given  of  setting  them  at  a  distance)  and  then  return 


SWARMING.  219 

them  to  one  of  the  old  stocks ;  they  will  immediately 
enter  without  contention,  and  issue  again  in  about  nine 
days,  or  as  soon  as  a  young  queen  is  matured  to  go 
with  them.  There  may  be  an  exception  to  this,  of  one 
in  twenty.  I  would  have  recommended  this  course  in 
all  cases  of  the  kind,  but  there  will  be  a  loss  of  time 
for  the  bees  in  the  old  stock  ;  because  they  are  apt  to 
be  rather  idle,  even  when  they  might  labor  in  the 
boxes ;  and  here  there  is  a  loss  of  some  eight  or  ten 
days.  The  collections  of  a  good  swarm  may  be  esti- 
mated at  least  one  pound  a  day,  (often  two  or  three.) 
A  swarm  that  just  fills  the  hive,  would  make  at  least 
ten  pounds  box-honey,  if  it  could  have  been  located 
ten  days  earlier.  Still  another  method  may  be  adopted 
when  you  have  a  very  small  swarm,  one  that  is  not 
likely  to  fill  the  hive,  and  has  not  been  hived  more 
than  two  or  three  days.  A  third  of  your  two  swarms 
may  be  put  in  with  that ;  taking  care,  as  before,  not  to 
let  your  only  queen  go  with  them. 

METHOD    OF   CXITIXG. 

The  manner  of  doing  it  is  very  simple ;  get  them  in 
a  hive  as  before  directed,  and  jar  them  out  in  front  of 
the  one  you  wish  them  to  enter,  or  invert  it,  setting 
the  other  over,  and  let  them  run  up. 

WHEX    CARE    IS    XECESSARY. 

Except  on  the  day  of  swarming,  care  is  necessary 
not  to  introduce  a  small  number  with  a  large  swarm ; 
they  are  liable  to  be  destroyed.  The  danger  is  much 
greater  than  to  put  together  about  an  equal  number, 
or  a  large  number  put  in  with  a  few.     The  day  that 


220  SUMMER. 

swarms  issue,  they  will  generally  mix  peaceably,  but 
in  proportion  as  time  intervenes  between  the  issues,  so 
will  be  the  liability  to  quarrel.  Yet,  I  have  united  two 
families  of  about  equal  numbers  in  the  fall  and  spring, 
and,  with  a  few  exceptions,  have  had  no  difficulty. 

SWARM-CATCHER. 

There  is  another  method  of  keeping  swarms  separate, 
contrived  and  used  by  a  Mr.  Loucks,  of  Herkimer  Co., 
N.  Y.  He  calls  it  a  swarm-catcher ;  he  has  a  half 
dozen  of  them,  and  says  he  would  not  do  without  for 
one  season,  for  fifty  dollars,  as  he  has  a  large  apiary. 
I  made  one  as  near  as  I  could  from  seeing  his,  without 
taking  the  exact  measure.  I  got  out  four  light  posts 
four  and  half  feet  long,  one  inch  square ;  then  twelve 
pieces  of  one-quarter  inch  stuff,  four  inches  wide  ;  the 
four  for  the  top  twelve  inches  long,  for  the  bottom  two 
were  fourteen  inches  long,  and  two  were  twenty.  These 
were  thoroughly  nailed  on  the  ends  of  the  posts,  mak- 
ing it  into  an  upright  frame,  the  other  four  pieces  were 
nailed  around  the  middle,  which  made  the  frame  firmer. 
I  made  a  frame  for  the  top,  of  four  pieces,  each  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  width,  and  half  inch  thick,  halved  at  the 
ends  and  nailed  together,  and  fastened  by  hinges  to 
one  side  of  the  top,  and  a  catch  to  hold  it  shut.  The 
whole  was  now  covered  with  very  thin  cloth  to  admit 
the  light,  but  not  so  open  as  to  let  the  bees  through, 
(Mr.  Loucks  used  cloth  made  for  cheese-strainers.)  I 
now  had  a  covered  frame  four  and  half  feet  high,  12 
inches  square  at  the  top,  at  the  bottom  14  by  20,  with 
a  door  or  lid  at  the  top,  to  let  out  the  bees.  On  each 
side  of  the  bottom  1  tacked  a  piece  of  common  muslin, 


SWARMING.  '  221 

near  a  yard  in  length.  When  a  swarm  is  ready  to  is- 
sue, the  bottom  of  this  frame  is  set  up  before  the  hive, 
one  edge  of  the  bottom  rests  on  the  bottom-board,  the 
other  against  the  side  of  the  hive ;  the  top  sets  off  from 
the  hive  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees,  under  whicli 
a  brace  is  set  to  hold  it.  The  muslin  at  the  bottom  is 
to  wrap  around  the  hive  at  the  side  to  prevent  the  es- 
cape of  the  bees.  The  swarm  rushes  into  this  without 
any  hesitation. 

When  done  coming  out,  the  muslin  at  the  bottom  is 
drawn  over  it,  and  the  frame  is  set  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion, and  allowed  to  stand  a  few  minutes  for  the  bees 
to  get  quiet  in  the  top.  It  is  now  to  be  laid  on  its 
side,  the  door  opened,  and  the  bees  hived.  In  the  few 
trials  that  I  have  given  it,  I  succeeded  without  diffi- 
culty. But  I  would  remark,  that  stocks  from  whicli 
Bwarms  are  caught  in  this  way,  must  not  be  raised  at 
the  back  side,  as  a  part  of  the  swarm  would  issue  there, 
and  not  get  into  the  net.  Mr.  Loucks  had  his  hive  di- 
rectly on  the  board ;  and  he  told  me  he  kept  them  so 
through  the  season  ;  the  only  places  of  entrance  was  a 
space  cut  out  of  the  bottom  of  the  front  side,  about 
three  inches  wide  by  half  inch  deep,  and  a  hole  in  the 
side  a  few  inches  up.  You  will  thus  perceive  that 
stocks  from  which  swarms  are  hived  in  this  way  must 
be  prepared  for  it  previously.  Also,  it  will  be  no  use 
to  such  bee-keepers  as  depend  on  seeing  their  swarms 
in  the  air.  It  will  be  beneficial  only  in  large  apiaries, 
where  several  swarms  are  liable  to  issue  at  once  ;  the 
swarming  indications  well  understood,  and  the  apiari- 
an on  the  lookout. 


222  •  SUMMER. 

SWARMS    SOMETIMES    RETURN. 

Occasionally  a  swarm  will  issue,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes return  to  the  old  stock.  Mr.  Miner  gives  a  cause 
for  this,  very  ingenious,  and  romantic,  but  unfortu- 
nately there  are  but  few  facts  to  sustain  this  hypothe- 
sis, (at  least  I  have  not  discovered  them.)  There  are 
other  causes  that  appear  to  me  more  reasonable ;  the 
most  common  is  the  inability  of  the  old  queen  to  fly, 
on  account  of  her  burden  of  eggs,  old  age,  or  some- 
thing else.  I  have  sometimes,  after  the  swarm  had  re- 
turned, found  the  queen  near  the  stock,  and  put  her 
back,  and  the  next  day  she  would  come  out  again,  and 
fly  v/ithout  difficulty,  (perhaps  she  had  discharged  some 
of  her  eggs.) 

Their  returning  is  more  frequent  in  windy  weather, 
or  when  the  sun  is  partially  obscured  by  clouds.  About 
three-fourths  of  them  will  not  re-issue  until  a  young 
queen  is  matured,  eight  or  ten  days  afterwards ;  and  a 
few,  not  at  all.  But  when  the  queen  returns  with  the 
swarm,  they  usually  come  out  again  the  next  day,  or 
day  after,  and  some  not  till  the  third  or  fourth.  I  have 
known  two  instances  where  they  issued  again  the  same 
day. 

REPETITION    PREVENTED. 

Sometimes  a  swarm  will  issue  and  return  three  or 
four  days  in  succession,  but  this  I  generally  remedy, 
as  it  is  often  owing  to  some  inability  of  the  queen,  and 
she  may  be  frequently  found  while  the  swarm  is  leav- 
ing outside  the  hive,  unable  to  fly.  In  such  cases  it 
is  only  necessary  to  have  a  tumbler  ready,  and  watch 
for  her ;  and  as  soon  ns  she  appears,  secure  her,  get 


SWAEMING.  223 

the  empty  hive  for  the  swarm,  a  sheet,  and  put  down 
a  bottom-board  a  few  feet  from  the  stock.  The  swarm 
is  sure  to  come  back;  the  first  bees  that  alight  on  the 
hive  will  set  up  the  call ;  as  soon  as  this  is  perceived, 
lose  no  time  in  setting  the  old  stock  on  the  board,  and 
throwing  the  sheet  over  it  to  keep  out  the  bees.  Put 
the  new  one  in  its  place  on  the  stand,  and  the  queen  in 
it ;  in  a  few  minutes  the  swarm  will  be  in  the  new 
hive,  when  it  can  be  removed,  and  the  old  one  re- 
placed. This  I  have  done  many  times.  But  should 
the  swarm  begin  to  cluster  in  a  convenient  place,  when 
you  have  so  caught  the  queen,  by  being  expeditious 
she  may  be  put  with  the  swarm,  before  they  have 
missed  her  and  may  be  hived  in  the  usual  way. 

LIABILITY  TO  ENTER  WRONG  STOCKS. 

In  all  cases,  whether  you  set  a  new  hive  in  place 
of  the  old  one  or  not,  whenever  a  swarm  returns,  if 
other  stocks  stand  close  on  each  side,  they  are  quite 
sure  to  receive  a  portion  of  the  bees — probably  a  few 
hundreds ;  these  are  certain  to  be  massacred.  To  pre- 
vent "srhich,  it  is  necessary  to  throw  sheets  over  them 
until  the  swarm  has  gathered  on  their  own  hive.  This 
is  another  reason  for  plenty  of  room  between  stocks. 
Should  no  queen  be  discovered  during  their  issue,  or 
return,  she  should  be  sought  for  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
hive,  and  put  back  if  found,  and  the  swarm  will  be 
likely  to  issue  several  days  earlier,  than  to  wait  for  a 
young  queen. 

"When  the  old  queen  is  actually  lost,  and  the  bees 
have  returned  to  wait  for   a   young  one,  it   is   often 


224  SUMMER. 

ready  to  leave  one  or  two  days  sliort  of  the  time  re- 
quired for  second  swarms.  Whether  a  greater  num- 
ber of  bees  in  the  old  stock  creating  more  animal  heat, 
matures  the  chrysalis  in  less  time  than  a  stock  thinned 
by  casting  a  swarm,  or  some  other  cause,  I  cannot  say. 
I  mention  it  because  I  have  known  it  to  occur  fre- 
quently, but  not  invariably  A  swarm  flying,  unac- 
companied by  a  queen,  is  scattered  more  than  usual. 

FIRST  ISSUES  GENERAXLY  CHOOSE  FAIR    WEATHER. 

First  swarms  are  commonly  more  particular  as  to 
weather  than  after  swarms.  They  have  several  days 
from  which  to  choose,  after  these  royal  cells  are  ready, 
and  before  the  queens  are  matured ;  and  they  usually 
take  a  fair  one.  But  here  again  are  exceptions.  I 
once  had  two  first  swarms  issue  in  a  wind  that  kept 
every  branch  of  tree  and  bush  in  agitation  to  such  a 
degree  that  it  was  impossible  to  find  any  such  place 
to  cluster.  I  expected  their  return  to  the  old  hive ; 
but  here  were  more  exceptions.  After  repeating  a 
fruitless  attempt  at  the  branches,  they  gave  it  up,  and 
came  down  amongst  the  grass  on  "  terra  firma."  This 
occurred  after  several  days  of  rainy  weather.  The 
next  day  being  pleasant,  twelve  issued ;  almost  prov- 
ing that  the  wind  the  preceding  day  kept  back  a  part. 
I  also  knew  one  to  issue  in  a  shower,  that  beat  many 
of  them  to  the  ground  before  they  could  cluster.  In 
this  case  the  shower  was  sudden,  the  sun  shone  almost 
up  to  the  time  it  began  to  rain.  About  this  time  the 
swarm  started  when  it  seemed  they  were  unwilling  to 
turn  about. 


SWARMING.  226 

AFTER  SWARMS. 

After  swarms  are  second  and  third  issues  (or  all 
after  the  first)  from  a  stock ;  and  quite  a  different  af- 
fair from  the  first,  as  also  are  some  first  swarms,  when 
the  old  queen  has  been  lost,  being  led  out  by  young 
queens. 

THEIR    SIZE. 

Second  swarms  are  usually  half  as  large  as  the  first, 
the  third  half  as  large  as  the  second,  the  fourth  still 
less;  with  some  variations.  I  give  general  features, 
noticing  only  the  exceptions  that  occur  most  frequent- 
ly ;  others  sometimes  happen,  but  so  seldom  that  men- 
tioning them  is  deemed  unnecessary. 

TIME  AFTER  THE  FIRST. 

Whenever  the  first  swarm  in  a  prosperous  season 
was  not  kept  back  by  foul  weather^  the  first  of  the  young 
queens  in  the  old  stock  is  ready  to  emerge  in  about 
eight  days.  We  will  suppose  the  first  swarm  issued 
on  Sunday ;  a  week  from  the  next  Tuesday  will  be 
usually  as  soon  as  the  second  one  need  be  expected. 

PIPING  OF  THE  QUEEN. 

On  the  Monday  evening  previous,  or  on  Tuesday 
morning,  by  putting  your  ear  close  to  the  hive,  and 
listening  attentively  five  minutes,  you  will  hear  a  dis- 
tinct piping  noise,  like  the  word  peep^  peep^  uttered 
several  times  in  succession,  and  then  an  interval  of 
silence ;  two  or  more  mav  be  often  heard  at  the  same 
time;  that  of  one  will  be  shrill  and  fine,  of  another 
hoarse,  short  and  quick.  This  piping  is  easily  heard 
10* 


226  SUMMER. 

by  any  one  not  actually  deaf,  and  not  the  Ica^t  danger 
of  its  being  taken  for  any  humming ;  in  fact^  it  is  not 
to  be  mistaken  for  anything  else  but  piping,  even  when 
you  hear  it  for  the  first  time.  These  notes  can  prob- 
ably never  be  heard  except  when  the  hive  contains  a 
plurality  of  queens. 

MAY  ALWAYS  BE  HEARD  BEFORE  AND  AFTIIR  SWARM. 

I  never  failed  to  hear  it,  previous  to  a  second  swarm^ 
or  any  after  the  first,  whenever  I  listened ;  and  when- 
ever I  have  listened  and  not  heard  it  at  the  proper 
time,  I  never  knew  a  second  swarm  to  issue  ! 

TIME  OF  CONTINUANCE  VARIES. 

The  time  of  commencing  will  be  later  than  this  rule 
in  some  stocks,  if  the  weather  is  cool,  or  not  many 
bees  left ;  it  may  be  ten  or  twelve  daj^s.  I  once  found 
it  fourteen  before  I  heard  it.  Also  the  swarm  may 
not  issue  in  two  or  three  days  after  you  hear  it.  The 
longer  the  swarm  delays,  the  louder  will  be  the  piping  ; 
I  have  heard  it  distinctly  twenty  feet,  by  listening 
attentively  when  I  knew  one  was  thus  engaged  ;  but 
at  first  it  is  rather  faint.  By  putting  your  ear  against 
the  hive  it  may  be  heard  even  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  or  at  any  time  before  issuing.  The  length  of 
time  it  may  be  heard  beforehand  seems  to  be  govern- 
ed again  by  the  yield  of  honey  ;  when  abundant  it  is 
common  for  them  to  issue  the  next  day  ;  but  when 
some  what  scarce,  they  will  be  much  longer — very  often 
three  or  four  days.  In  thes^  cases  third  swarms  sel- 
dom occur. 


SWARMING.  227 

TIME    BETWEEN    SECOND    AND    THIRD   ISSUES. 

Piping  for  third  swarms  (when  they  issue)  may 
usually  be  heard  the  evening  after  the  second  has 
left,  though  one  day  commonly  intervenes  between 
their  issues. 

Here  my  experience  is  at  variance  with  many 
writers,  who  give  several  days  between  the  second 
and  third.  I  do  not  recollect  an  instance  of  more  than 
three  days  between,  but  many  in  less,  several  the 
next,  and  one  the  same  day  of  the  second !  I  had 
an  instance  of  a  swarm  losing  its  queen  (the  old  one) 
on  its  first  sally,  and  returned  to  wait  for  the  young 
ones ;  when  they  were  ready,  an  uncommon  number 
of  bees  were  present ;  three  swarms  issued  in  three 
days  !  On  the  fourth,  another  came  out  and  returned  ; 
the  fifth  day  it  left;  making  four  regular  swarms  in 
five  days.  On  the  eighth,  the  fifth  swarm  left !  Al- 
though I  never  had  five  swarms  from  a  stock  before, 
yet  I  expected  this,  from  the  fact  of  hearing  the  piping 
on  the  next  evening  after  the  fourth  one  had  left. 
The  piping  had  continued  in  this  hive  from  the  eve- 
ning previous  to  the  first  swarm  till  the  last  one  had 
left. 

NOT  ALWAYS  TO  BE  DEPENDED  UPON. 

One'  stock  in  fifteen  may  commence  piping,  yet 
send  out  no  swarm.  The  bees  will  change  their 
minds  about  coming  out,  and  kill  their  queens,  or 
allow  the  eldest  one  of  them  to  destroy  the  others,  or 
some  other  way,  as  they  do  not  always  swarm  in  such 
circumstances.     But  when  the  piping  continues  over 


228  SUMMER. 

twenty -four  hours,  I  never  knew  hut  one  failure  I  I 
have  known  a  few  (two  or  three)  to  commence  this 
piping,  while  I  supposed  the  old  queen  was  yet  pre- 
sent, and  had  not  left  the  hive,  on  account  of  bad 
weather,  but  a  swarm  issued  soon  after.  Also,  three 
instances  where  I  supposed  the  old  queen  lost,  from 
some  other  cause  than  leading  out  a  swarm,  and  the 
Stock  reared  some  young  ones  to  supply  her  place.  It 
occurred  in  or  near  the  swarming  season,  and  one  or 
two  issues  was  the  consequence.  One  case  was  three 
weeks  in  advance  of  the  season,  and  the  swarm  was 
about  half  the  usual  size.  When  a  swarm  has  been  out, 
and  returned  at  the  last  of  the  swarming  season,  it  is 
much  more  probable  to  re-issue,  than  if  it  depended 
on  an  old  queen  for  a  leader,  that  had  not  been  out. 
Such  will  sometimes  be  a  week  or  ten  days  later  than 
others.  Once  I  had  the  first  swarm  kept  back  by  wet 
weather,  and  the  second  came  out  on  the  fifth  day 
after;  several  other  instances  on  the  seventh  and 
eighth ;  and  one  as  late  as  the  sixteenth,  after  the  first. 

A    RULE    FOR    THE    TIME    OF    THESE    ISSUES. 

This  may  be  put  down  as  a  rule,  that  all  after 
swarms  must  be  out  by  the  eighteenth  day  from  the 
first.  I  never  found  an  exception,  unless  the  follow- 
ing may  be  considered  so  :  When  a  swarm  left  the 
middle  of  May,  and  another  the  first  of  July,  seven 
weeks  after,  but  two  cases  of  this  kind  have  come  up, 
and  these  I  consider  rather  in  the  light  of  first  swarms, 
as  they  leave  under  the  same  circumstances,  leaving 
the  combs  in  the  old  stock  filled  with  brood,  queen- 


SWARMING.  229 

cells  finislied,  &c.  A  stock  may  cast  swarms  in  June, 
and  a  buckwheat  swarm  in  August,  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple. 

WHEN    IT    IS    USELESS    TO    EXPECT    MORE    SWARMS. 

Therefore,  bee-keepers  having  but  few  stocks,  will 
find  it  unnecessary  to  watch  their  bees  when  the  last 
of  the  first  swarms  came  out  sixteen  or  eighteen  days 
before.  Much  trouble  may  be  thus  saved  by  under- 
standing this  matter.  During  my  early  days  in  bee- 
keeping, I  wished  for  the  greatest  possible  increase  of 
stocks.  I  had  some  that  had  cast  the  first  swarm,  and 
soon  after  clustered  out  again.  I  vainly  watched  them 
for  weeks  and  months,  expecting  another  swarm.  But 
had  I  understood  the  modus  operandi^  as  the  reader 
may  now  understand  it,  I  should  have  been  through 
with  all  my  anxiety,  as  well  as  watching,  in  a  fort- 
night. As  it  was,  it  lasted  two  months.  I  found  no 
one  to  give  me  any  light  on  this  subject,  or  even  tell 
me  when  the  swarming  season  was  over,  and  I  came 
very  near  watching  all  summer  ! 

PLURALITY  OF  QUEENS  DESTROYED. 

When  the  bees,  queens,  or  all  together,  decide  that 
no  more  swarms  are  to  issue,  the  plurality  of  queens 
is  destroyed,  and  but  one  is  left.  It  is  probable  that 
the  oldest  and  strongest  queen  dispatches  the  others, 
generally  while  in  the  cells. 

I  once  had  some  artificial  queens  reared,  as  an  ex- 
periment. fi:om  common  eggs,  on  the  top  of  a  hive,  in 


230  SUMMER. 

a  small  glass  box,  where  there  was  room  for  but  one 
comb,  which  allowed  me  to  see  all  particulars. 

THE    MANNER. 

After  the  first  queen  was  matured,  and  had  left  her 
cell,  I  caught  her  within  six  hours,  taking  advantage 
of  her  younger  sisters,  which  were  yet  sealed  up,  and 
of  course  could  offer  no  resistance.  She  first  made  an 
opening  that  would  allow  her  to  reach  the  abdomen 
of  her  competitor  (probably  this  is  the  most  vulnera- 
ble). As  soon  as  this  was  sufficiently  large  to  admit 
her  body,  she  thrust  it  in,  inflicting  the  fatal  sting. 
This  was  then  left  for  another,  that  soon  shared  the 
same  fate.  If  quick  and  spiteful  movements  are  any 
indications  of  hatred,  it  was  manifested  here  very 
plainly.  The  bees  enlarged  the  orifice  and  dragged 
out  the  now  dead  queens. 

Now,  if  I  should  say  that  all  queens  were  dis- 
patched in  this  way,  merely  because  I  witnessed  it 
in  this  case,  it  would  be  carrying  out  the  principle  I 
am  endeavoring  to  avoid:  that  is,  judging  all  cases 
from  one  or  two  solitary  facts.  As  it  is,  it  is  some- 
■  what  confirmatory  of  what  some  others  have  said.  I 
will  suppose,  then,  until  further  evidence  contradicts 
it,  that  the  first  perfect  queen  leaving  her  cell,  makes 
it  her  business  to  destroy  all  rivals  in  their  cradle,  as 
soon  as  it  is  decided  that  no  more  swarms  shall  issue. 
By  keeping  grass,  weeds,  &c.,  away  from  about  the 
stock,  these  dead  queens,  as  they  are  brought  out, 
may  be  frequently  found.   Such  as  are  removed  during 


SWARMING.  231 

the  night  may  be  often  found  on  the  floor-board  in  the 
morning.  I  have  found  a  dozen  by  one  stock.  Should 
the  stock  send  out  but  one  swarm,  they  may  be  found 
about  the  time,  or  a  little  before  you  would  hsten  for 
the  piping.  But  should  after  swarms  come  out,  they 
will,  or  may  be  found  the  next  morning  after  it  is 
decided  that  no  more  are  to  issue.  It  is  very  seldom 
that  all  the  queens  reared  are  needed.  They  make 
it  a  rule,  as  far  as  they  have  control,  to  go  on  safe 
principles,  by  having  a  little  more  than  just  enough. 
When  several  such  bodies  are  thrown  out,  and  no 
piping  is  heard,  no  further  swarming  need  be  ex- 
pected. But  should  you  hear  the  piping  a  day  or 
two  after  finding  a  dead  queen,  you  may  yet  look  for 
the  swarm. 

THEORr    DOUBTED. 

It  is  stated  that  when  the  bees  decide  an  after 
swarm  shall  issue,  the  first  queen  matured  is  not  al- 
lowed to  leave  her  cell,  but  kept  a  prisoner  there,  and 
fed  until  wanted  to  go  forth  with  the  swarm.  This 
may  be  true  in  some  cases  (though  not  satisfactorily 
proved),  but  I  am  quite  sure  it  is  not  in  all. 

When  she  is  confined  to  her  cell,  how  does  she  as- 
certain the  presence  of  others?  By  leaving  the  cell, 
this  knowledge  is  easily  obtained.  Huber  says  she 
does,  and  is  "  enraged  at  the  existence  of  others,  and 
endeavors  to  destroy  them  while  yet  in  the  cell,  which 
the  workers  will  not  allow ;  this  is  so  irritating  to  her 
majesty  that  she  utters  this  peculiar  sound."  Also 
second  and  third  swarms  may  contain  several  queens, 


232  SUMMER. 

frequently  two,  three,  and  four ;  even  six  at  one  time 
come  out.  If  these  had  to  bite  their  way  out,  after 
the  workers  had  decided  it  was  time  to  start  (for  it 
must  he  ihey  decide  it  when  the  queens  are  shut  up), 
they  would  hardly  be  in  season. 

AFTER    SWARMS    DIFFERENT    IN    APPEARANCE    FROM    THE    FIRST 
WHEN    ABOUT    TO    ISSUE. 

Another  thing,  when  after  swarms  start,  the  ap- 
pearance about  the  entrance  is  altogether  different 
from  first  ones,  unless  there  is  an  unusual  number  of 
bees.  I  have  said  that  for  a  little  time  beforehand, 
that  such  were  in  an  apparent  tumult,  &c.  But  after 
swarms  seldom  give  any  such  notice.  One  or  more 
of  the  3^oung  queens  may  sometimes  be  seen  to  run 
out,  and  back,  several  times  in  a  few  minutes,  in  a 
perfect  frenzy ;  sometimes  fly  a  short  distance,  and 
return  before  the  swarm  will  get  started  (which 
she  could  not  do  if  confined).  The  workers  seem 
more  reluctant  about  leaving  than  in  first  swarms, 
when  a  mother  instead  of  a  sister  is  leader.  Even 
after  the  swarm  is  in  motion,  she  may  return  and 
enter  the  hive  a  moment.  No  doubt  she  finds  it 
necessary  to  animate  or  induce  as  many  as  possible  to 
leave  with  her.  A  person  watching  the  issue  of  a 
second  swarm  under  these  circumstances,  for  the  first 
time,  and  finding  the  queen  leaving  first,  would  very 
likely  guess  all  must  be  alike.  Perhaps  the  next  one 
would  be  different ;  the  first  thing  seen  might  be  the 
swarm  leaving,  and  no  queen  discovered  at  all.  But 
to  return  to  the  imprisonment  of  the  queens.     I  have 


SWARMING.  233 

one  other  fact  in  objection.  I  once  saw  a  queen  run- 
ning about  in  a  glass  hive,  while  they  were  piping  for 
a  second  swarm.  She  was  near  the  glass,  appeared 
agitated,  stopping  occasionally  to  vibrate  her  wings, 
which  was  simultaneous  with  the  piping,  and  seemed 
to  make  it.  The  workers  appeared  to  take  but  little 
notice  of  her.  The  next  day  the  swarm  left.  Here 
was  one  instance,  at  least,  of  her  not  being  confined 
till  the  time  of  leaving,  making  an  exception,  if  not 
a  rule.  Let  this  matter  be  as  it  may,  I  admit  it  makes 
but  little  difference  to  the  practical  apiarian,  either 
way ;  but  to  the  reader  whose  interest  is  the  natural 
history  of  the  bee,  the  truth  is  important. 

TIME    OF    DAY,  WEATHER,  ETC. 

These  after  swarms  are  not  very  particular  about 
the  weather ;  heavy  winds,  a  few  clouds,  and  some- 
times a  slight  sprinkling  of  rain,  will  not  always 
deter  them.  Neither  are  they  very  precise  about  the 
time  of  day.  I  have  known  them  in  a  warm  morning 
to  issue  before  seven  o'clock,  and  after  five  P.  M. 
These  things  should  be  understood;  because,  when 
after  swarms  are  expected  (of  which  the  piping  will 
give  warning),  it  is  necessary  to  watch  them  in 
weather,  and  at  times  when  first  ones,  would  not 
venture  to  leave. 

SWARMS   NECESSARY   TO    BE    SEEN. 

It  is  essential  that  you  see  them,  that  you  may 
know  where  they  cluster,  otherwise  it  might  be  diffi- 
cult to  find  them.     They  are  apt  to  go  farther  from 


234  SUMMER. 

the  parent  stock  than  others;  sometimes  fifty  rods, 
and  then  settle  in  two  places,  perhaps  that  distance 
apart,  in  some  high  or  inconvenient  place  to  get  at. 
(Let  me  not  be  misunderstood :  I  do  not  sa}^  they  all 
do  so,  or  even  the  majority ;  but  I  wish  to  say  that 
a  greater  portion  of  these  swarms  do  so  than  of  the 
first.)  If  they  cluster  in  two  places,  a  queen  may  be 
in  each,  and  they  will  remain,  and  when  you  have 
hived  one  part  you  may  think  you  have  all.  If  one 
cluster  is  without  a  queen,  they  will  join  the  other  if 
near ;  but  when  distant,  will  be  very  likely  to  return  to 
the  old  stock  soon,  unless  put  together.  I  had  a 
swarm  light  in  two  places,  in  exactly  opposite  di- 
rections from  the  stock.  In  one,  a  good  swarm  had 
clustered ;  in  the  other,  some  less  than  a  pint.  The 
small  part  had  one  or  more  queens,  the  other  none. 
It  was  perceived  at  once  by  their  movements.  Now, 
if  we  provide  a  hive  for  a  swarm,  and  get  a  few  to 
set  up  the  call  or  buzzing,  they  will  not  leave  till  that 
is  stopped.  There  is  generally  no  difficulty  to  start  it. 
The  surest  way  is  to  jar  a  portion  or  all  directly  into 
the  hive.  It  takes  a  few  minutes  to  get  composed, 
and  miss  the  queen.  In  my  case  I  got  them  in  the 
hive,  and  before  they  missed  the  queen,  carried  them 
to  the  small  cluster,  which  I  got  in  a  dipper  and 
emptied  in  front  of  the  hive ;  they  entered,  and  all 
were  peaceable.  You  will  therefore  see  the  necessity 
of  watching  such  swarms,  to  see  if  there  is  no  sepa- 
ration, if  nothing  else. 


SWARMING.  235 

RETURNING  AFTER  SWARMS  TO  THE  OLD  STOCK. 

Much,  has  been  said  about  returning  all  after  swarms 
to  the  old  stock ;  the  advantages  of  which  will  depend 
on  the  time  of  issuing;  whether  late  or  early,  the 
yield  of  honey,  etc.  It  would  be  unusual  to  have 
many  after  swarms  without  a  liberal  yield  of  honey, 
for  the  time  being ;  but  to  tell  of  its  continuance  is 
the  question  to  be  answered.  Second,  and  even  third 
swarms,  if  early  in  the  season,  and  the  honey  con- 
tinues plentiful,  may  be  hived,  and  these,  together 
with  the  old  stock,  will  prosper.  Here  the  apiarian 
Deeds  a  little  judgment  and  experience  to  guide  him. 

WHEN    THEY    SHOULD    BE    RETURNED. 

It  is  always  best,  if  possible,  to  have  good  strong 
families.  When  after  swarms  are  late  it  is  safest  to 
return  them,  as  the  old  stock  will  need  them  to  re- 
plenish the  hive,  and  prepare  for  winter.  Also  a  less 
number  of  worms  will  infest  it,  when  well  provided 
with  bees  ;  and  the  chances  of  box  honey  are  greater. 

METHOD  OF    DOING    IT. 

But  the  process  of  returning  such  requires  some 
little  patience  and  perseverance.  I  have  said  there 
may  be  a  dozen  young  queens  in  the  old  stock.  Now 
suppose  one,  two,  or  more  leave  with  the  swarm,  and 
you  return  the  whole  together,  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent their  leading  out  the  swarm  again  the  next  day. 
Therefore  it  is  policy  to  keep  the  queens  back.  The 
least  trouble  is  to  hive  in  the  usual  way,  and  let  them 
stand  till  the  next  morning.     It  will  save  you  the 


236  SUMMER. 

trouble  of  looking  for  more  than  one,  if  there  should 
be  more,  for  all  but  that  are  destroyed  by  that  time. 
There  is  a  chance,  also,  for  the  old  stock  to  decide  that 
no  more  should  issue,  and  allow  all  but  one  to  be  slain 
there.     AVhen  this    is   the  case,  and  you  find  the  one 
with  the  swarm,  you  will  have  no  further  trouble  by 
their  re-issuing.     They  should  be  returned  as  soon  as 
the  next  morning,  otherwise  they  might  not  agree, 
even  when  put  in  the  old  home.    To  return  them,  and 
find  a  queen  easily,  get  a  wide  board  a  few  feet  long ; 
let  one  end  rest  on  the  ground,  the  other  near  the  en- 
trance, that  they  may  enter  the  hive  without   flying  ; 
then  shake   out   the   swarm  on  the  lower  end  of  the 
board  ;  but  few  will  fly,  but  soon  commence  running 
up  towards  the  hive ;  the  first  one  that  discovers  the 
entrance  will  set  up  the  call  for  the  others.     If  they 
do  not  discover  it,  which  is  the  case  sometimes,  scatter 
some  of  them  near  it,  and  they  will  soon   commence 
marching  up,  when  you  should  look  out  for,  and  se- 
cure the  queen,  as  they  spread  and  give  a  good  chance. 
By  applying  your  ear  to  the  hive,  the  piping  will  tell 
you  if  they  are  to  issue  again.     It  is  evident,  if  you 
follow  these  directions,  that  the  swarm  cannot  issue 
many  times  before  their  stock  of  royalty  will  be  ex- 
hausted; and  when  but  one  queen  remains  the  piping 
will  cease,  and  no  further  trouble  will  be  had.     To 
prevent  these  after  swarms,  some  writers  recommend 
turning  over  the  hive  and  cutting  out  all   the  royal 
cells  but  one.     This  1  have  found  impracticable  with  a 
great  many  stocks.    Some  of  the  cells  are  too  near  the 
top  to  be  seen,  consequently  this  cannot  always  be 


SWARMING.  237 

depended  upon.  As  for  a  rule  about  returning,  it  is 
somewhat  difficult  to  give  one.  If  I  should  say,  re- 
turn all  such  as  issue  after  the  20th  of  June,  the  vari- 
ation in  the  season  might  be  two  or  three  weeks,  even 
in  the  same  latitude ;  i.  e.,  the  course  of  flowers  that 
had  bloomed  by  that  date  in  one  season  might,  another 
year,  require  two  weeks  more  to  bring  out.  Also, 
the  20th  of  June,  in  latitude  of  New  York  City,  is  as 
late  as  the  4th  of  July  in  many  places  further  north. 
I  once  had  a  second  swarm  on  the  11th  of  July,  that 
wintered  well,  having  nearly  filled  the  hive.  Yet,  in 
some  seasons,  the  first  swarms,  of  the  last  of  June, 
have  failed  to  get  enough.  In  sections  where  much 
buckwheat  is  raised,  late  swarms  do  more  towards 
filling  their  hives  than  where  there  is  none. 

MORE  CARE  NEEDED  BY  AFTER  SWARMS  WHEN  HIVED. 

Should  it  be  thought  best  to  hive  after  swarms,  and 
risk  the  chances,  they  should  receive  a  little  extra 
attention  after  the  first  week  or  two,  to  destroy  the 
worms  ;  a  little  timely  care  may  prevent  considerable 
injury.  They  are  apt  to  construct  more  combs  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  bees,  than  others ;  con- 
sequently, such  combs  cannot  be  properly  covered  and 
protected.  The  moth  has  an  opportunity  to  deposit 
her  eggs  on  them,  and,  sometimes,  entirely  destroy 
them. 

TWO    MAY    BE    UNITED. 

Whenever  these  swarms  issue  near  enough  toge- 
ther, it  is  best  to  unite  them.  I  have  said  second 
swarms  were  generally  half  as  large  as  the  first.     By 


238  SUMMER. 

this  rule,  two  second  swarms  would  contain  as  many 
bees  as  a  first  one,  and  four  of  the  third,  or  one  of  the 
second  issue,  and  two  of  the  third,  &c.  If  the  first 
and  second  are  of  the  ordinary  size,  I  think  it  advis- 
able always  to  return  the  third.  But  in  large  apiaries 
it  is  common  for  them  to  issue  without  any  previous 
warning,  just  when  a  first  one  is  leaving,  and  crowd 
themselves  into  their  company,  and  seeming  to  be  as 
much  at  home  as  though  they  were  equally  respect- 
able. 

Whenever  the  hives  containing  our  swarms  are  full 
or  very  near  it,  the  boxes  should  be  put  on  without 
delay,  unless  the  season  of  honey  is  so  nearly  gone  as 
to  make  it  unnecessary. 

I  have  found  it  an  advantage  to  hive  a  few  of  these 
very  small  swarms,  on  purpose  to  preserve  queens,  to 
supply  some  old  stocks  that  sometimes  lose  their  own 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  swarming  season.  The 
cases  to  be  mentioned  at  the  last  of  the  next  chapter. 
I  try  and  save  one  for  about  every  twenty  stocks  that 
have  swarmed. 


CHAPTEE    XIV. 

LOSS   OF   QUEENS. 
OF    SWARMS    THAT    LOSE    THEIR    QUEEN 

Swarms  that  lose  their  queen  the  first  tew  hours 
after  being  hived,  generally  return  to  the  parent  stock  ; 
with  the  exception  that  they  sometimes  unite  with 


LOSS   OF   QUEENS.  239 

some  other.  If  much  time  has  elapsed  before  the 
loss,  they  remain,  unless  standing  on  the  same  bench 
with  another.  On  a  separate  stand  they  continue 
their  labor,  but  a  large  swarm,  diminishes  rapidl}^  and 
seldom  fills  an  ordinary-sized  hive.  One  singular  cir- 
cumstance attends  a  swarm  that  is  constructing  combs 
without  a  queen.  I  have  never  seen  it  noticed  by 
any  one,  and  may  not  always  be  the  case,  but  every 
instance  that  has  come  under  my  notice,  I  have  so 
found  it.  That  is,  four-fifths  of  the  combs  are  drone- 
cells  ;  why  they  thus  construct  them  is  another  sub- 
ject for  speculation,  from  which  I  will  endeavor  in 
this  instance  to  refrain. 

A    SUGGESTION    AND    AN    ANSWER. 

It  has  been  suggested  as  a  profitable  speculation, 
"  to  hive  a  large  swarm  without  a  queen,  and  give 
them  a  piece  of  brood-comb  containing  eggs,  to  rear 
one,  and  then  as  soon  as  it  is  matured,  deprive  them 
of  it,  giving  them  another  piece  of  comb,  and  con- 
tinue it  throughout  the  summer,  putting  on  boxes  for 
surplus  honey.  The  bees  having  no  young  brood  to 
consume  any  honey,  no  time  will  be  lost,  or  taken  to 
nurse  them,  and  as  a  consequence  they  will  be  enabled 
to  store  large  quantities  of  surplus  honey." 

This  appears  very  plausible,  and  to  a  person  with- 
out experience  somewhat  conclusive.  If  success  de- 
pended on  some  animal  whose  lease  of  life  was  a  little 
longer,  it  would  answer  better  to  calculate  in  this  way. 
But  as  a  bee  seldom  sees  the  anniversary  of  its  birth- 
day, and  most  of  them  perish  the  first  few  months  of 


240  SUMMER. 

their  existence,  it  is  bad  economy.  It  will  be  found 
that  the  largest  amount  of  our  surplus  honey  is  ob- 
tained from  our  prolific  stocks.  Therefore  it  is  all-im- 
portant that  every  swarm  and  stock  has  a  queen  to 
repair  this  constant  loss. 

A    DISPUTED    QUESTION. 

We  now  approach  another  disputed  point  in  natural 
history,  relative  to  the  queen  leaving  at  any  time  ex- 
cept when  leading  out  a  swarm.  Most  writers  say  that 
the  young  queen  leaves  the  hive,  and  meets  her  para- 
mour, the  drone,  on  the  wing.  Others  deny  this  posi- 
tively^ having  watched  a  whole  summer  without  seeing 
her  highness  leave.  Consequently  they  have  arrived 
at  the  very  plausible  and  apparently  consistent  con- 
clusion, that  nature  never  intended  it  to  be  so,  since 
it  must  happen  at  a  time  when  the  existence  of  the 
whole  family  depends  entirely  on  the  life  of  the  queen. 
The  stock  at  such  times  contains  no  eggs  or  larvae, 
from  which  to  rear  another,  if  she  should  be  lost. 
*'  The  chances  at  such  times  of  being  devoured  by 
birds,  blown  away  by  the  winds,  and  other  casualties, 
are  too  many,  and  it  is  not  probable  the  Creator 
would  have  so  arranged  it,"  But  facts  are  stubborn 
things ;  they  will  not  yield  one  jot  to  favor  the  most 
"finely-spun  hypothesis;"  they  are  most  provokingly 
obstinate,  many  times.  When  man,  without  the 
necessary  observation,  takes  a  survey  through  ani- 
mated nature,  and  finds  with  scarcely  an  exception 
that  male  and  female  are  about  equal  in  number,  he 
is  ready,  and  often  does  conclude  that  one  bee  among 


LOSS   OF   QUEENS.  241 

thousands  cannot  be  the  only  one  capable  of  repro- 
duction or  depositing  eggs.  Why,  the  idea  is  prepos- 
terous! And  yet  only  a  little  observation  will  upset 
this  very  consistent  and  analogous  reasoning.  So  it 
appears  to  be  with  the  excursions  of  the  young 
queens.  I  was  compelled,  though  reluctantly,  to 
admit  that  they  leave  the  hive.  That  their  purpose 
is  to  meet  the  drones,  I  cannot  at  present  contradict. 
Also,  that,  when  the  queen  is  once  impregnated,  it  is 
operative  for  life,  (yet  it  is  another  anomaly),  as  I 
never  detected  her  coming  out  again  for  that  purpose. 
"What  then  is  the  use  of  the  ten  thousand  drones  that 
never  fulfil  this  important  duty  ?  It  seems,  indeed, 
like  a  useless  waste  of  labor  and  honey,  for  each  stock 
to  rear  some  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred,  when  perhaps 
but  one,  sometimes  not  any  of  the  whole  number  is 
of  any  use.  If  the  risk  is  great  in  the  queen's  leaving, 
we  find  it  arranged  admirably  in  its  not  being  too  fre- 
quent. 

A    MULTITUDE    OF    DRONES    NEEDED. 

Instinct  teaches  the  bee  to  make  the  matters  left  to 
them  as  nearly  sure  as  possible.  When  they  want 
one  queen,  they  raise  half  a  dozen.  If  one  drone  or 
only  half  a  dozen  were  reared,  the  chances  of  the  queen 
.meeting  one  in  the  air  would  be  very  much  reduced. 
But  when  a  thousand  are  in  the  air  instead  of  one, 
the  chances  are  a  thousand  times  multiplied.  If  a 
stock  casts  a  swarm,  there  is  a  young  queen  to  be  im- 
pregnated, and  be  got  safely  back,  or  the  stock  is  lost. 
Every  time  she  leaves,  there  is  a  chance  of  her  being 
11 


242  SUMMER. 

lost,  (one  in  fifteen).  If  the  number  of  drones  was 
any  less  than  it  is,  the  queen  would  have  to  repeat 
her  excursions  in  proportion,  before  successful.  As 
it  is,  some  have  to  leave  several  times.  The  chances 
and  consequences  are  so  great,  that  on  the  whole  no 
doubt  but  it  is  better  to  rear  a  thousand  unnecessarily, 
than  to  lack  one  just  in  time  of  need.  Therefore  let 
us  endeavor  to  be  content  with  the  present  arrange- 
ment, inasmuch  as  we  could  not  better  it,  and  proba- 
bly had  we  been  consulted,  would  have  so  fixed  "  the 
thing,  that  it  would  not  go  at  all." 

But  what  is  the  use  of  the  drones  in  hives  that  do 
not  swarm,  and  do  not  intend  it,  situated  in  a  large 
room  or  very  large  hives  ?  Such  circumstances  sel- 
dom produce  swarms,  yet  as  regular  as  the  return  of 
summer,  a  brood  of  drones  appear.  What  are  they 
for?  Suppose  the  old  queen  in  such  hive  dies,  leav- 
ing eggs  or  young  larvre,  and  a  young  queen  is  reared 
to  supply  her  place.  How  is  she  to  be  impregnated 
without  the  drones?  Perhaps  they  are  taught  that 
whenever  they  can  afford  it,  they  should  have  some 
on  hand  to  be  ready  for  an  emergency.  I  have  al- 
ready said  when  bees  are  numerous,  and  honey  abun- 
dant, they  never  fail  to  provide  them.  I  once  put  a 
swarm  in  a  glass  hive.  The  queen  was  a  cripple, 
having  lost  one  of  her  posterior  legs  ;  in  two  months, 
after  she  was  replaced  by  one  young  and  perfect. 
Here  was  an  instance  of  drones  being  needed,  when 
no  intention  of  swarming  was  indicated ;  the  hive  was 
but  little  more  than  half  full. 


LOSS  OF   QUEENS.  243 

THE     iUEEN    LIABLE    TO    BE    LOST    IN    HER    EXCURSIONS. 

This  excursion  of  the  queen,  whenever  I  have  wit- 
nessed it,  ahvaj^s  took  place  a  little  after  the  middle  of 
the  day,  when  the  drones  were  out  in  the  greatest  num- 
bers. At  such  times  I  have  seen  them  leave  amid 
rather  more  commotion  than  usual  among  the  workers. 
I  have  watched  their  return,  which  varied  from  three 
minutes  to  half  an  hour,  and  seen  them  hover  around 
their  own  hive,  apparently  in  doubt  whether  they  be- 
longed in  that,  or  the  next ;  in  a  few  instances  they 
have  actually  settled  on  the  neighboring  hive,  and 
would  have  there  perished,  but  for  my  assistance  in 
putting  them  right. 

THE    TIME    WHEN    IT    OCCURS. 

Thus  we  see  that  queens  are  lost  on  these  occasions 
from  some  cause,  and  part  of  them  by  entering  the 
wrong  hive,  perhaps  most  of  them ;  if  so,  it  is  another 
good  reason  for  not  packing  stocks  too  close.  The 
hives  are  very  often  nearh"  alike  in  color  and  appear- 
ance. The  queen  coming  out  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  is  no  doubt  confused  by  this  similarity. 

The  number  of  such  losses  in  a  season  has  varied : 
one  year  the  average  was  one  in  nine,  another  it  was 
one  in  thirteen,  and  another  one  in  twenty.  The  time 
from  the  first  swarm  also  varies  from  twelve  to  twenty 
days.  The  inexperienced  reader  should  not  forget 
that  it  is  the  old  stocks  which  have  cast  swarms, 
where  these  accidents  happen ;  the  old  queen  having 
left  with  the  first  swarm.  Also  all  after  swarms  are 
liable  to  the  same  loss.     I  would  suggest  that  these 


244  SUMMER. 

have  abundant  room  given  between  the  hives ;  if  it  is 
necessary  to  pack  close,  let  it  be  the  first  swarms, 
where  the  old  queen  has  no  occasion  to  leave.  Hav- 
ing never  seen  this  matter  fully  discussed,  I  wish  to 
be  somewhat  particular,  and  flatter  myself  that  I  shall 
be  able  to  direct  the  careful  apiarian  how  to  save  a 
few  stocks  and  swarms  annually,  that  is,  if  he  keeps 
many.  A  few  years  ago,  I  wrote  an  article  for  the 
Albany  Cultivator.  A  subscriber  of  that  paper  told 
me  a  year  afterwards  that  he  saved  two  stocks  the 
next  summer  by  the  information ;  they  were  worth 
at  least  five  dollars  each,  enough  to  pay  for  his  paper 
ten  years  or  more. 

When  a  stock  casts  but  one  swarm,  the  queen  hav- 
ing no  competitors  to  interfere  with  her  movements, 
will  leave  in  about  fourteen  days,  if  the  weather  is 
fair ;  but  should  an  after  swarm  leave,  the  oldest  of 
the  young  queens  will  probably  go  with  that,  of 
course :  then,  it  must  be  later  before  the  next  is 
ready :  it  may  be  twenty  days,  or  even  more ;  those 
with  after  swarms  will  vary  from  one  to  six.  It  aZ- 
ways  must  occur  when  no  eggs  or  larvae  exist,  and  no 
means  left  to  repair  this  loss ;  a  loss  it  is,  and  a  seri- 
ous one;  the  bees  are  in  as  much  trouble  as  their 
owner,  and  a  great  deal  more,  they  seeming  to  un- 
derstand the  consequences,  and  he,  if  he  knows 
nothing  of  the  matter,  has  no  trouble.  Should  he 
now,  for  the  first  time,  learn  the  nature  of  it,  he  will 
at  the  same  time  understand  the  remedy. 

INDICATIONS    OF    THE    LOSS. 

The  next  morning  after  a  loss  of  this  kind  has  oc- 


LOSS   OF   QUEENS.  245 

ciirred,  and  occasionally  at  evening,  the  bees  may  be 
seen  running  about  in  the  greatest  consternation,  out- 
side, to  and  fro  on  the  sides.  Some  will  fly  off  a  short 
distance  and  return  ;  one  will  run  to  another,  and 
then  to  another,  still  in  hopes,  no  doubt,  of  finding 
their  lost  sovereign  !  A  neighboring  hive  close  by, 
on  the  same  bench,  will  probably  receive  a  portion, 
Avhich  will  seldom  resist  an  accession  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. All  this  will  be  going  on  while  other 
hives  are  quiet.  Towards  the  middle  of  the  day,  this 
confusion  will  be  less  marked  ;  but  the  next  morning 
it  will  be  exhibited  again,  though  not  so  plainly,  and 
cease  after  the  third,  when  they  become  apparently 
reconciled  to  their  fate. 

They  will  continue  their  labors  as  usual,  bringing  in 
pollen  and  honey.  Here  I  am  obliged  to  differ  with 
writers  who  tell  us  that  all  labor  will  now  cease.  I 
hope  the  reader  will  not  be  deceived  by  supposing 
that  because  the  bees  are  bringing  in  pollen,  that  they 
must  have  a  queen ;  I  can  assure  you  it  is  not  always 
the  case. 

THE    RESULT. 

The  number  of  bees  will  gradually  decrease,  and  be 
all  gone  by  the  early  part  of  winter,  leaving  a  good 
supply  of  honey,  and  an  extra  quantity  of  bee-bread, 
as  before  mentioned,  because  there  has  been  no  young 
brood  to  consume  it.  This  is  the  case  when  a  large 
family  was  left  at  the  time  of  the  loss.  When  but 
few  bees  are  left,  it  is  very  different ;  the  combs  are 
unprotected  by  a  covering  of  bees ;  the  moth  deposits 


246  SUMMER. 

her  eggs  on  them,  and  the  worms  soon  finish  up  the 
whole.  Yet  the  bees  from  the  other  stocks  will  gene- 
rally first  remove  the  honey. 

AGE    OF    BEES    INDICATED. 

Hundreds  of  bee-keepers  lose  some  of  their  stocks 
in  this  way,  and  can  assign  no  reasonable  cause. 
"Why,'  say  they,  "there  wasn't  twenty  bees  in  the 
hive;  it  was  all  full  of  honey,"  or  worms,  as  the  case 
may  be.  "  Only  a  short  time  before,  it  was  full  of 
bees ;  I  got  three  good  swarms  from  it,  and  it  always 
had  been  first  rate,  but  all  at  once  the  bees  were 
gone.  I  don't  understand  it  1"  Such  bee-keepers  can- 
not understand  how  rapidly  a  family  of  bees  diminish, 
when  there  is  no  queen  to  replenish  with  young  this 
mortality  of  the  old  ones.  I  doubt  whether  the 
largest  and  best  family  possibly  could  be  made  to 
exist  six  months,  without  a  queen  for  their  renewal, 
except,  perhaps,  through  the  winter. 

When  standing  close  on  one  bench,  they  are  gone 
sooner  than  if  on  separate  stands,  as  they  often  join  a 
neighboring  hive  when  they  can  walk  to  it. 

NECESSITY    OF    CARE. 

As  this  tumult  cannot  be  seen  but  a  few  days  at 
most',  it  is  well — yes,  it  is  necessary — to  make  it  a 
duty  to  glance  at  the  hives  at  this  period  after 
swarming,  every  morning  ;  a  glance  is  sufiicient  to  tell 
you  of  the  fact.  Eemeniber  to  reckon  from  the  date 
of  the  first  issue  ;  tliis  occurs  when  the  first  royal  cells 
are  sealed  over,  and   is  the  bost  criterion  as  to  when 


LOSS   OF   QUEENS.  247 

the  queen  will  leave.  If  the  first  swarm  issue  and  re- 
turn, it  can  make  no  difference ;  reckon  from  their 
first  issuing. 


When  you  discover  a  loss,  first  ascertain  if  there  is 
any  after  swarm  to  be  expected  from  another  stock, 
(by  listening  for  the  piping)  ;  if  so,  wait  till  it  issues, 
and  obtain  a  queen  from  that  for  your  stock ;  even  if 
there  is  but  one,  take  it,  and  let  the  bees  return ;  they 
would  be  likely  to  come  out  again  the  next  day  ;  if 
not,  it  is  very  often  no  great  loss. 

Should  no  such  swarm  be  indicated,  go  to  a  stock 
that  has  cast  a  first  swarm  within  a  week  ;  smoke  it 
and  turn  it  over,  as  before  directed,  find  a  royal  cell, 
and  with  a  broad  knife  cut  it  out,  being  careful  not  to 
injure  it.  This  must  now  be  secured  in  the  other  hive 
in  its  natural  position,  the  lower  end  free  from  any 
obstacle,  that  would  interfere  with  the  queen  leaving 
it.  It  will  make  but  little  difference  whether  at  the 
top  or  bottom,  providing  it  is  secure  from  falling. 

I  generally  introduce  it  through  a  hole  in  the  top, 
taking  care  to  find  one  that  will  allow  the  cell  to  pass 
down  between  two  combs.  It  being  largest  at  the 
upper  end,  the  combs  each  side  will  sustain  it,  and 
leave  the  lower  end  free.  In  a  few  hours  the  bees 
will  secure  it  permanently  to  the  combs  with  wax. 
This  operation  cannot  be  performed  in  a  chamber 
hive,  as  it  is  impossible  to  see  the  arrangement  of  the 
combs  through  the  holes.  To  put  it  in  at  the  bottom 
is  some  more  trouble ;  the  difiiculty  is,  to  fasten  it, 


248  SUMMER. 

and  prevent  it  resting  on  the  end.  I  have  done  it  as 
follows :  Get  an  old  thick  piece  of  dry  comb  some 
three  inches  square;  cut  out  an  inch  of  the  middle. 
At  right  angles  with  this,  in  one  edge  in  the  centre, 
make  another  to  intersect  it,  just  the  size  of  the  cell, 
and  have  the  lower  end  reach  into  the  opening.  This 
comb  will  keep  it  in  the  right  position,  and  may  rest 
on  the  floor-board.  It  can  now  be  put  in  the  hive, 
cutting  out  a  piece  of  comb  to  make  room  for  it  if 
necessary. 

Soon  after  such  cell  is  introduced,  the  bees  are  quiet. 
In  a  few  days  it  hatches,  and  they  have  a  queen  as 
perfect  as  if  it  had  been  one  of  their  own  rearing. 
This  queen  of  course  will  be  necessitated  to  leave  the 
hive,  and  will  be  just  as  liable  to  be  lost,  but  no  more 
so  than  others,  and  must  be  watched  the  same.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  look  for  a  cell  in  a  stock  that  has  cast 
its  first  swarm  more  than  a  week  before,  as  they  are 
generally  destroyed  by  that  time,  (sometimes  short  of 
it,)  unless  they  intend  to  send  out  an  after  swarm. 

MARK    THE    DATE    OF    SWARMS    ON    THE    HIVE. 

Should  you  have  so  many  stocks  that  you  cannot 
remember  the  date  of  each  swarm  without  difficulty, 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  mark  the  date  on  one  side  or  cor- 
ner of  the  hive,  as  it  issues.  You  can  then  tell  at 
once  where  to  look  for  a  cell  when  wanted. 

It  will  sometimes  happen  that  a  queen  may  be  lost 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  swarming  season,  when  no 
other  stock  contains  such  cells.  I  then  look  around  for 
the  poorest  stock  or  swarm  that  I  have  on  hand,  one 


LOSS   OF   QUEENS.  249 

that  I  can  afford  to  sacrifice,  if  it  possesses  a  queen,  to 
save  the  one  that  has  sustained  this  loss ;  this  is  not  often 
the  case,  but  is  sometimes.  I  have  a  few  times  put 
just  bees  enough  with  the  queen  to  keep  her  in  a  box, 
and  kept  them  for  this  purpose,  as  was  mentioned  in 
the  last  chapter.  When  introduced,  the  bees  are  gen- 
erally killed,  but  the  queen  is  preserved. 

OBTAINING    A    QUEEN    FROM    WORKER    BROOD. 

There  is  yet  another  method  to  be  adopted,  and 
that  is,  to  obtain  a  piece  of  brood-comb  containing 
workers'  eggs,  or  larvae  very  young.  You  will  gener- 
ally find  it  without  much  trouble,  in  a  young  swarm 
that  is  making  combs  ;  the  lower  ends  usually  contain 
eggs ;  take  a  piece  from  one  of  the  middle  sheets,  two 
or  three  inches  long,  (you  will  probably  use  smoke 
by  this  time  without  telling).  Invert  the  hive  that  is 
to  receive  it,  put  the  piece  edgewise  between  the 
combs,  if  you  can  spread  them  apart  enough  for  the 
purpose ;  they  will  hold  it  there,  and  then  there  will 
be  ample  room  to  make  the  cells.  They  will  nearly 
always  rear  several  queens.  I  have  counted  nine 
several  times,  which  were  all  they  had  room  for.  But 
yet  I  have  very  little  confidence  in  such  queens,  they 
are  almost  certain  to  be  lost. 

THEY  ARE  POOR  DEPENDENCE. 

Therefore  I  would  recommend  getting  a  royal  cell 
whenever  it  is  practical.     There  is  yet  another  advan- 
tage ;  you  will  have  a  queen  ready  to  lay  eggs  two  or 
11* 


250  SUMMER. 

three  weeks  earlier,  than  when  they  are  compelled  to 
commence  with  the  egg.  I  have  put  such  piece  of 
brood-comb  in  a  small  glass  box  on  the  top  of  the 
hive  instead  of  the  bottom,  because  it  was  less  trouble, 
but  in  this  case  the  eggs  were  all  removed  in  a  short 
time  ;  whether  a  queen  was  reared  in  the  hive  or  not  I 
cannot  say ;  but  this  I  know,  I  never  obtained  a  pro- 
lific queen,  after  repeated  experiments  in  this  way. 

It  would  appear  that  I  have  been  more  unfortunate 
with  queens  reared  in  this  way,  than  most  experiment- 
ers. I  have  no  difficulty  to  get  them  formed  to  all 
appearance  perfect,  but  lose  them  afterwards.  Now 
whether  this  arose  from  some  lack  of  physical  develop- 
ment, by  taking  grubs  too  far  advanced  to  make  a 
perfect  change,  or  whether  they  were  reared  so  late  in 
the  season,  that  most  of  the  drones  were  destroyed, 
and  the  queen  to  meet  one  had  to  repeat  her  excur- 
sions till  lost,  I  am  yet  unable  to  fully  determine.  To 
test  the  first  of  these  questions,  I  have  a  few  times 
removed  all  the  larvae  from  the  comb;  leaving  noth- 
ing but  eggs,  that  all  the  food  given  them  might  be 
"royal  pap,"  from  the  commencement,  and  had  no 
better  success  so  far.  Yet  occasionally  prolific 
queens  have  been  reared  when  I  could  account  for 
their  origin  in  no  other  way  but  from  worker  eggs. 
But  you  will  find  they  are  not  to  be  depended  upon 
generally. 

Sometimes,  after  all  our  endeavors,  a  stock  or  two 
will  remain  destitute  of  a  queen.  These,  if  they  escape 
the  worms,  will  generally  store  honey  enough  in  thia 


LOSS  OF   QUEENS.  251 

section  to  winter  a  good  family.  This  will  have  to  be 
introduced,  of  course,  from  another  hive,  containing  a 
queen  ;  but  this  belongs  to  Fall  management. 

As  respects  the  time  that  elapses  from  the  impreg- 
nation of  the  queen  till  the  commencement  of  egg  lay- 
ing, I  cannot  tell,  but  guess  it  might  be  about  two  or 
three  days.  I  have  driven  out  the  bees  twenty-one 
days  after  the  first  swarm,  when  no  second  swarm  had 
issued — the  young  queen  came  out  on  the  fourteenth 
day.  I  found  eggs  and  some  very  young  larvoe.  TVhen 
it  is  remembered  that  eggs  remain  three  days  before 
they  hatch,  it  shows  that  the  first  of  these  must  have 
been  deposited  some  four  or  five  days.  When  writers 
tell  us  the  exact  time  to  an  hour  (46  or  48)  from  im- 
pregnation to  laying,  I  am  willing  to  admit  the  thing 
in  1,his  case,  but  feel  just  as  if  I  would  like  to  ask  how 
they  managed  to  find  out  the  fact ;  by  what  sign  they 
knew  when  a  queen  returned  from  an  excursion,  whe- 
ther she  had  been  successful  or  not,  in  her  amours ; 
or,  whether  another  effort  would  have  to  be  made; 
and  then,  how  they  managed  to  know  exactly  when 
the  first  egg  was  laid. 

Occasionally  a  queen  is  lost  at  other  than  the  swarm- 
ing season,  averaging  about  one  in  forty.  It  is  most 
frequent  in  spring ;  at  least  it  is  generally  discovered 
then.  The  queen  may  die  in  the  winter,  and  the  bees 
not  give  us  any  indications  till  they  come  out  in  spring. 
(Occasionally  they  may  all  desert  the  hive,  and  join  an- 
other.) K  we  expect  to  ascertain  when  a  queen  is  lost 
at  this  season,  we  must  notice  them  just  before  dark 
on  the  first  warm  days — because  the  mornings  are  apt 


262  SUMMER. 

to  be  too  cool  for  any  bees  to  be  outside — any  unusual 
stir,  or  commotion,  similar  to  wbat  has  been  described, 
shows  the  loss.  This  is  the  worst  time  in  the  year  to 
provide  the  remedy,  unless  there  should  happen  to  be 
some  very  poor  stock  containing  a  queen,  that  we 
might  lose  any  way — then  it  might  be  advisable  to 
sacrifice  it  to  save  the  other,  especially  if  the  last  con- 
tained all  the  requisites  of  a  good  stock  except  a  queen. 
Some  eight  or  ten,  that  I  have  managed  in  this  way, 
have  given  me  full  satisfaction.  I  have  at  other  times 
let  them  go  till  the  swarming  season,  and  then  pro- 
cured a  queen,  or  introduced  a  small  swarm  ;  at  which 
time  they  are  so  reduced  as  to  be  worth  but  little,  even 
when  not  affected  by  the  worms.  To  obviate  this  loss 
in  this  way,  it  might  be  an  advantage  to  transfer  the 
bees  to  the  next  stock,  if  it  was  not  too  full  already ; 
or  the  bees  of  the  next  stock  to  this.  Let  the  age  and 
condition  of  the  combs,  quantity  of  stores,  &c.,  decide. 


CHAPTER    XY. 

ARTIFICIAL   SWARMS. 
PRINCIPLES    SHOULD  BE    UNDERSTOOD. 

Artificial  swarms  can  be  made  with  safety  at  the 
proper  season.  To  the  bee-keeper  who  wishes  to  in- 
crease his  stocks,  it  will  be  an  advantage  to  understand 
some  of  the  principles.  I  have  had  some  little  experi- 
ence that  has  led  to  different  conclusions  from  those  of 
some  others.  I  have  seen  it  stated,  and  found  the  asser- 
tion repeated  by  nearly  every  writer,  that  **  whenever 


ARTIFICIAL  SWARMS.  253 

bees  were  deprived  of  their  queen,  if  they  only  pos- 
sessed eggs  or  young  larvae,  they  would  not  fail  to  rear 
another,"  &c.  There  are  numerous  instances  of  their 
doing  this,  but  it  is  not  to  be  depended  upon,  espe- 
cially when  left  in  a  hive  full  of  combs,  as  the  following 
experiments  tend  to  prove. 

SOME     EXPERIMENTS. 

Several  years  since  I  had  a  few  stocks  well  supplied 
with  bees,  and  every  indication  of  swarming  present, 
such  as  clustering  out,  &c.,  but  they  pertinaciously  ad- 
hered to  the  old  stock,  through  the  whole  swarming  sea- 
son !  Others  apparently  not  as  well  supplied  with  bees 
threw  off  swarms.  I  had  but  few  stocks,  and  was  very 
anxious  to  increase  the  number;  but  these  were  provok- 
ingly  indifferent  to  my  wishes.  Taking  the  assertions 
of  these  authors  for  facts,  I  reasoned  thus :  In  all  pro- 
bability there  are  eggs  enough  in  each  of  those  stocks. 
Why  not  drive  out  a  portion  of  the  bees,  with  the  old 
queen,  and  leave  about  as  many  as  if  a  swarm  had  is- 
sued? Those  left  will  then  raise  a  queen,  and  con- 
tinue the  old  stock,  and  I  shall  have  six  instead  of  the 
three,  that  have  been  so  obstinate.  Accordingly,  I 
divided  each,  examined  and  found  eggs  and  larvae.  Of 
course  all  must  he  right.  Now,  thought  I,  my  stocks 
can  be  doubled  at  least  annually.  If  they  do  not 
swarm,  I  can  drive  them. 

THE    RESULT    UNSATISFACTORY. 

My  swarms  prospered,  the  old  stocks  seemed  indus- 
trious, bringing  in  pollen  in  abundance,  which  to  me 
at  that  time,  was  conclusive  that  they  had  a  queen,  er 


254  SUMMER. 

soon  would  have.  I  continued  to  watch  them  with 
much  interest,  but  somehow,  after  a  few  weeks,  there 
did  not  seem  to  be  quite  as  many  bees ;  a  few  days 
later,  I  was  quite  sure  there  was  not,  I  examined  the 
combs,  and  behold  there  was  not  a  cell  containing  a 
young  bee  of  any  age,  not  even  an  egg  in  any  one  of 
these  old  stocks.  My  visionary  anticipations  of  future 
success  speedily  retrograded  about  this  time. 

I  had,  it  is  true,  my  new  swarms  in  condition  to 
winter,  although  not  quite  full  ;  but  the  old  ones 
were  not,  and  nothing  was  gained.  I  had  some 
honey,  a  great  deal  of  bee-bread  and  old  black  comb. 
Had  I  let  them  alone,  and  put  on  boxes,  I  should 
have  probably  obtained  twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds 
of  pure  honey  from  each,  worth  five  times  as  much  as 
what  I  did  get ;  besides,  the  old  stocks,  even  with  the 
old  comb,  would  have  been  better  supplied  with 
both  honey  and  bees ;  altogether  much  better,  as 
stocks  for  wintering.  Here  was  a  considerable  loss, 
merely  by  not  understanding  the  matter. 

I  carefully  looked  the  bees  over,  and  ascertained  to 
a  certainty  that  neither  of  them  had  a  queen.  I 
smothered  what  few  there  was  left  in  the  fall.  I  then 
knew  of  no  better  way.  I  had  been  told  that  the  bar- 
barous use  of  fire  and  brimstone  was  part  of  the 
"  luck ;"  that  a  more  benevolent  system  would  cause 
the  bees  "to  run  out,"  &c. 

FURTHER  EXPERIMENTS. 

Subsequent  to  these  experiments,  I  thought  per- 
haps the  jarring  of  the  hives  in  driving  might  have 


ARTIFICIAL   SWARMS.  255 

some  effect  on  the  bees,  and  prevent  their  rearing  a 
queen.  This  idea  suggested  the  dividing  hive,  when 
the  division  could  be  made  quietly ;  but  success  was 
yet  uncertain.  I  was  told  to  confine  the  bees  in  the 
old  stock  twenty-four  hours  or  more,  after  driving  out 
a  swarm  ;  this  I  tried,  with  no  better  results.  Again, 
I  drove  out  the  swarm,  looked  out  the  queen,  and  re- 
turned her  to  the  old  stock,  compelling  the  new 
swarm  to  raise  one.  To  be  certain  thej^  did  so,  I  con- 
structed a  small  box  about  four  inches  square,  by  two 
in  thickness ;  the  sides  glass.  In  this  I  put  the  piece 
of  brood-comb  containing  eggs  and  larvae,  and  then 
put  it  on  the  hive  containing  the  swarm,  having  holes 
for  communication,  a  cover  to  keep  it  dark,  &c.  They 
were  very  sure  to  rear  queens,  but  from  some  cause 
were  lost  after  they  were  matured. 

Now,  if  others  have  been  more  successful  in  these 
experiments  than  myself,  it  indicates  that  some  favor- 
able circumstances  attended  them  that  did  not  me,  I 
have  not  the  least  doubt  but  the  result  will  be  favor- 
able sometimes.  Yet  from  the  foregoing,  I  became 
satisfied  that  not  one  of  these  methods  could  be  relied 
upon.  Instead  of  constructing  a  queen's  cell,  and  then 
removing  the  egg  or  larva  to  it  from  another  cell,  I 
always  found  that  the  cell  containing  such  egg  or 
larva  was  changed  from  the  horizontal  to  the  perpen- 
dicular ;  such  cells  as  were  in  the  way  below  were  cut 
off,  probably  using  the  material  in  forming  one  for 
royalty,  which,  when  finished,  contains  as  much  ma- 
terial as  fifty  or  a  hundred  others. 

My  experiments  did  not  end  here.    I  can  now  make 


256  SUMMER. 

artificial  swarms,  and  succeed  nine  times  in  ten  with 
the  first  effort,  and  the  reader  can  as  easily  do  the 
same.  It  must  be  in  the  swarming  season,  or  as  soon 
as  the  first  regular  swarm  issues.  You  want  some 
finished  royal  cells  that  any  stock  having  cast  a  swarm 
will  furnish,  (unless  in  rare  instances,  where  they  are 
too  far  up  among  the  combs  to  be  seen.) 

A   SUCCESSFUL    METHOD. 

When  you  are  all  ready,  take  a  stock  that  can  spare 
a  swarm ;  if  bees  are  on  the  outside,  raise  the  hive  on 
wedges,  and  drive  them  in  with  a  little  water,  and  dis- 
turb them  gently  with  a  stick.  Now  smoke  and  invert 
it,  setting  the  empty  hive  over.  If  the  two  hives  are 
of  one  size,  and  have  been  made  b}^  a  workman,  there 
will  be  no  chance  for  the  bees  to  escape,  except  the 
holes  in  the  side ;  these  you  will  stop  ;  (no  matter 
about  a  sheet  tied  around  it.)  With  a  light  hammer 
or  stick,  strike  the  hive  a  few  times  lightl}'-,  and  then 
let  it  remain  five  minutes.  This  is  very  essential,  be- 
cause most  of  the  bees,  if  allowed  the  opportunity, 
will  fill  themselves  with  honey  after  such  disturbance. 

All  regular  swarms  go  forth  so  laden.  A  supply 
is  necessary  when  bad  weather  follows  soon  after.  It 
is  also  used  in  forming  wax,  a  very  necessary  article 
in  a  new  hive.  The  amount  of  honey  carried  out  of 
a  stock  by  a  good  swarm,  together  with  the  weight 
of  the  bees  (which  is  not  much),  will  vary  from  five 
to  eight  pounds. 

This,  allowing  time  for  the  bees  to  fill  their  sacks, 
and  supplying  the  old  stock  with  a  royal  cell,  I  be* 


AKTIFICIAL   SWAKMS.  257 

lieve  is  entirely  original :  the  importance  of  which  the 
reader  can  judgq^ 

ADVANTAGES  OF  THIS  METHOD. 

It  is  very  plain  that  a  queen  from  such  finished  cell 
must  be  ready  to  deposit  eggs  several  days  sooner 
than  by  any  other  method  that  we  can  adopt.  It  is 
also  clear  that  if  we  have  a  dozen  queens  depositing 
eggs  by  the  10th  of  June,  that  our  bees  are  increasing 
faster,  on  the  whole,  than  if  but  half  that  number  are 
engaged  in  it  for  a  month  later.  There  is  yet  another 
advantage.  The  sooner  a  young  queen  can  take  the 
place  of  the  old  one  in  maternal  duties,  the  less  time 
will  be  lost  in  breeding,  the  more  bees  there  will  be 
to  defend  the  combs  from  the  moth,  and  the  surest 
guaranty  for  surplus  honey. 

When  the  bees  have  filled  their  sacks,  proceed  to 
drive  them  into  the  upper  hive  by  striking  the  lower 
one  rapidly  from  five  to  ten  minutes.  A  loud  hum- 
ming will  mark  their  first  movement.  When  you 
think  half  or  two-thirds  are  out,  raise  the  hive  and 
inspect  progress.  They  are  not  at  all  disposed  to 
sting  in  this  stage  of  proceeding,  even  when  they 
escape  outside.  If  full  of  honej^,  they  are  seldom  pro- 
voked to  resentment.  The  only  care  will  be  not  to 
crush  too  many  that  get  between  the  edges  of  the 
hives.  The  loud  buzzing  is  no  sign  of  anger.  If  your 
swarm  is  not  large  enough,  continue  to  drive  till  it 
is.  When  done,  the  new  hive  should  be  set  on  the 
stand  of  the  old  one.  A  few  minutes  will  decide 
whether  you  have  the  queen  with  the  swarm,  as  they 


258  SUMMER. 

remain  quiet :  otherwise  uneasy,  and  run  about,  when 
it  will  be  necessary  to  drive  again. 

If  both  hives  are  one  color,  set  the  old  one  two  feet 
in  front ;  but  if  of  different  colors,  a  little  more.  I 
prefer  this  position  to  setting  the  old  stock  on  one 
side,  even  when  there  is  room  ;  3'et  it  can  make  but 
little  difference.  Should  you  set  it  on  one  side,  let  the 
distance  be  less.  When  the  old  stock  is  taken  much 
farther  than  this  rule,  all  the  bees  that  have  marked 
the  location  (and  all  the  old  ones  will  have  done  so) 
will  go  back  to  the  old  stand,  and  none  but  young 
bees  that  have  never  left  home  will  remain.  The  same 
will  be  the  case  with  the  new  swarm  if  moved  off.  It 
will  not  do  to  depend  on  the  old  queen  keeping  them, 
as  she  does  when  they  swarm  out  naturally.  This  has 
been  my  experience.  Try  it,  reader,  and  be  satisfied, 
by  putting  either  of  the  hives  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
distant. 

Before  you  turn  over  the  old  stock,  look  among  the 
combs  as  far  as  possible  for  queens'  cells ;  if  any  con- 
tain eggs  or  larv«,  you  may  safely  risk  their  rearing 
a  queen ;  but  otherwise  wait  till  next  morning,  or  at 
least  twenty-four  hours,  then  go  to  a  stock  that  has 
cast  a  swarm,  and  obtain  a  finished  royal  cell,  as  be- 
fore directed,  and  introduce  it.  You  will  have  a 
queen  here  as  soon  as  if  it  had  been  left  in  the  origi- 
nal hive,  and  no  risk  of  an  after  swarm,  because  there 
is  but  one.  But  when  there  are  young  queens  in  the 
cells  at  the  time  of  driving,  after  swarms  may  issue. 
Should  a  queen-cell  be  introduced  immediately,  it  is 
more  liable  to  be  destroyed  than  after  waiting  twenty- 


ARTIFICIAL   SWARMS.  259 

four  hours ;  and  then  is  not  always  safe.  After  it  has 
had  time  to  hatch,  (which  is  about  eight  days  after 
being  sealed),  cut  it  out,  and  examine  it:  if  the  lower 
end  is  open,  it  indicates  that  a  perfect  queen  has  left 
it,  and  all  is  safe ;  but  if  it  is  mutilated  or  open  at  the 
side,  it  is  probable  that  the  queen  was  destroyed  be- 
fore maturity,  in  which  case,  another  cell  will  have  to 
be  given  them. 

AKTmCIAL    SWAKMS    OXLT    SAFE    NEAR    THE  SWARMIXG  SEASON. 

By  what  I  have  said  about  artificial  swarms,  it 
would  appear  that  it  is  unsafe  at  any  time  but  the 
swarming  season ;  that  is  my  opinion.  It  may  do  a 
little  in  advance  or  a  little  after,  providing  royal  cells 
can  be  had.  By  feeding  as  directed,  (in  Chapter  IX.) 
you  may  induce  a  stock  to  send  out  a  swarm  some 
days  in  advance  of  the  regular  season,  thereby  giving 
you  a  chance  for  these  cells  somewhat  early. 

SOMETIMES    HAZARDOUS. 

To  make  such  swarms  at  any  time  when  the  bees 
are  destroying  drones,  would  be  extremely  hazardous, 
not  only  on  account  of  the  young  queen  being  im- 
pregnated, but  their  massacre  denotes  a  scarcity  of 
honey.  Therefore  I  would  advise  never  to  make 
swarms,  or  drive  out  bees  at  such  periods,  when  it  can 
be  avoided,  without  spare  honey  is  on  hand  to  feed 
them. 

SOME    OBJECTIONS. 

It  has  been  argued  by  some,  and  with  much  reason, 
that  "  nature  is  the  best  guide,  and  it  is  better  to  let 


260  SUMMER. 

the  bees  have  their  own  way  about  swarming — if 
honey  is  abundant,  and  the  stock  is  in  condition  to 
spare  a  swarm,  their  own  instincts  will  teach  them  to 
construct  royal  cells ;  if  it  fails  before  they  are  ready, 
and  the  royal  brood  is  destroyed,  it  is  because  the 
existence  of  the  swarm  would  be  precarious,  and  it  is 
best  not  to  issue."  I  will  grant  that  in  man}'-  instances 
it  is  better.  The  chance  is  better  for  surplus  honey ; 
the  stock  is  quite  sure  to  be  in  condition  to  winter; 
and  some  judgment  is  required  to  tell  when  a  stock 
can  spare  a  swarm. 

But  yet,  we  are  sometimes  anxious  to  increase  our 
stocks  to  the  utmost  that  safety  will  allow,  and  often 
have  some  that  can  spare  a  swarm  as  well  as  not,  but 
refuse  to  leave  ;  perhaps  commence  preparations,  and 
in  a  few  days  abandon  them.  ISTow  it  is  evident  that  as 
long  as  many  continue  such  preparation,  that  honey 
is  sufficiently  abundant  to  put  the  safety  of  the  swarm 
beyond  hazard ;  some  stocks  will  swarm  while  these 
others  just  as  good,  (that  had  abandoned  it  before) 
and  have  not  now  begun  again,  to  be  in  time  before  a 
partial  failure  of  honey,  and  some  may  not  have  com- 
menced in  season. 

NATURAL  AND  ARTIFICIAL    SWARMS    EQUALLY    PROSPEROUS. 

I  can  see  no  difference  in  artificial  or  natural  swarms 
of  equal  size,  at  the  same  time.  By  taking  the  matter 
in  time  into  our  own  hands,  with  the  rules  given,  we 
make  a  sure  thing  of  it,  that  is,  we  are  sure  to  get  the 
swarms,  when  if  left  to  the  bees  it  would  be  uncer- 
tain, and  no  greater  risk  afterwards  than  with  natural 
issues. 


ARTIFICIAL  SWARMS.  261 

THIS    MATTER    TOO    OFTEN    DELAYED. 

I  am  aware  that  this  matter  will  be  apt  to  be  put 
off  too  long;  "wait  and  see  if  they  don't  swarm,"  will 
be  the  motto  of  too  many,  and  when  the  season  is  over, 
drive  them.  Perhaps  a  good  swarm  has  set  outside 
the  hive,  all  through  the  best  of  the  honey  season, 
and  done  nothing,  while  they  could  have  half  filled  a 
hive;  but  this  is  all  lost  now,  as  well  as  the  best  chances 
for  getting  cells.  Let  me  impress  the  necessity  of 
doing  it  in  season,  when  it  will  pay.  If  you  intend 
to  have  a  swarm  from  every  stock  that  can  spare  one, 
begin  when  nature  points  out  the  proper  time,  which 
is,  when  the  regular  ones  begin  to  issue.  It  must,  in- 
deed, be  a  poor  season  when  there  are  none. 

IS  THE  AGE  OF  THE  QUEEN  IMPORTANT  1 

There  is  another  object  effected  in  this  way,  con- 
sidered by  some  apiarians  as  very  important.  It  is  the 
change  of  the  queens  in  the  old  stock.  A  young  queen 
is  thought  to  be  "much  more  prolific  than  an  old  one." 
They  even  recommend  keeping  none  "  over  two  or 
three  years  old,"  and  give  directions  how  they  may 
be  renewed.  But  as  I  have  been  unable  to  discover 
any  difference  in  relation  to  the  age  in  this  respect,  I 
shall  not  at  present  take  much  time  to  discuss  it.  It 
is  well  enough,  when  we  can  take  our  choice  without 
trouble,  to  preserve  a  young  queen.  When  we  con- 
sider that  there  are  but  few  queens  but  what  will  de- 
posit three  times  as  many  eggs  in  a  season  as  are 
matured,  it  looks  as  if  it  would  hardly  pay  to  take 
much  trouble  to  change  them.      At  what  time  the 


262  SUMMER. 

queen  becomes  barren  from  old  age,  I  presume  has 
never  yet  been  fully  determined. 

A  friend  of  mine  has  had  a  stock  in  a  large  room 
eight  3'ears,  that  has  never  swarmed,  and  is  still  pros- 
perous !  I  think  it  very  probable  that  this  queen  will 
gradually  decay,  and  possibly  become  barren,  some 
weeks  before  she  dies ;  if  so,  this  stock  will  soon  die 
off.  A  few  such  cases  will  probably  occur  in  swarm- 
ing hives,  perhaps  one  in  fifty,  but  generally  such  old 
and  feeble  queens  are  lost  when  they  leave  with  the 
swarm,  especially  in  windy  weather.  As  long  as  they 
are  able  to  go  with  the  swarm,  and  sometimes  when 
they  are  not,  I  have  found  them  sufficiently  prolific 
for  all  purposes.  I  would  rather  risk  their  fecundity, 
and  hive  the  swarm,  than  to  allow  the  bees  to  return 
to  the  parent  stock,  and  wait  eight  or  nine  days  for  a 
young  queen  to  mature.  A  great  many  will  remain 
idle,  even  if  there  is  room  to  work  in  the  boxes. 


CHAPTEE    XVI. 

PRUNING. 

Notwithstanding  I  have  given  the  method  of 
pruning  in  the  chapter  on  hives,  (page  81,  Chapter  II,) 
it  will  be  necessary  to  give  the  tyro  in  bee-culture  a 
few  more  particulars.  The  season  for  doing  it  is  of 
importance. 

DIFFERENT    OPINIONS    AS    TO    TIME. 

The  month  of  March  has   been  recommended  by 


PRUNING.  268 

several ;  others  prefer  April,  August,  or  September. 
Here,  as  usual,  I  shall  have  to  differ  from  them  all. 
preferring  still  another  period,  for  which  I  offer  my 
reasons,  supposing,  of  course,  that  the  reader  is  con- 
scious of  a  freeman's  privilege,  that  is,  to  adopt  what- 
ever method  he  thinks  proper,  on  this,  as  on  any  other 
point. 

ANOTHER    TIME    PREFERRED. 

There  is  but  one  period  from  February  till  October, 
when  prosperous  stocks  are  free  from  young  brood  in 
the  combs.  If  combs  are  taken  out  when  occupied, 
there  must  be  a  loss  of  all  the  young  bees  they  con- 
tain ;  which  may  be  avoided.  The  old  queen  leaves 
with  the  first  swarm ;  all  the  eggs  she  leaves  in  the 
worker-cells  will  be  matured  in  about  twenty-one 
days,  consequently  this  is  the  time  to  clear  out  the 
old  combs  with  the  least  waste.  A  few  drones  will  be 
found  in  the  cells,  that  would  require  a  few  days  more 
to  hatch,  but  these  are  of  no  account.  Also  a  few 
very  young  larvae  and  some  eggs  may  be  sometimes 
found,  the  product  of  the  young  queen ;  these  few 
must  be  wasted, '  but  as  the  bees  have  expended  no 
labor  upon  them  as  yet,  it  is  better  to  sacrifice  these 
than  the  greater  number  left  by  her  mother,  which 
have  consumed  their  portion  of  food  ;  the  bees  have 
sealed  them  up,  and  now  only  require  the  necessary 
time  to  mature,  to  make  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
stock. 

SHOULD  NOT  BE  DELAYED. 

Should  this  operation  be  put  off  for  a  time  much 


264  SUMMER. 

longer  than  three  weeks,  the  young  queen  will  so  fill 
the  combs  again  as  to  make  it  a  serious  loss.  There- 
fore, I  wish  to  urge  strongly  attention  to  this  point 
at  the  proper  season.  If  you  think  it  unimportant  to 
mark  the  date  of  your  first  swarms  for  the  purposes 
mentioned  in  another  place,  it  will  be  found  very  con- 
venient here,  for  those  that  need  pruning. 

It  is  also  recommended  by  some,  to  take  only  a 
part,  say  one-third  or  half,  in  a  season  ;  thereby  taking 
two  or  three  years  to  renew  the  combs.  This  is  ad- 
visable only  when  the  family  is  very  small.  As  this 
space  made  by  pruning  cannot  be  filled  without  wax 
and  labor,  our  surplus  honey  will  be  proportionate  to 
its  extent.  Now  suppose  we  take  out  half  the  old 
combs,  and  get  half  a  yield  of  box  honey  this  year, 
and  the  same  next,  or  make  a  full  operation  of  it  and 
get  none  this  year,  and  a  full  one  next.  What  is 
the  difference  ?  There  is  none  in  point  of  honey,  but 
some  in  trouble,  and  that  is  in  favor  of  a  full  opera- 
tion at  once.  We  have  to  go  through  with  about  the 
same  trouble  to  get  one-third  or  half  as  to  take  the 
whole. 

OBJECTION    TO    PRUNING. 

The  objection  to  this  mode  of  renewing  combs 
generally,  will  be  the  fear  of  getting  stung.  But  I 
can  assure  you  there  is  but  little  danger,  not  as  much 
as  to  walk  among  the  hives  in  a  warm  day.  Only 
begin  right,  use  the  smoke,  and  work  carefully,  with- 
out pinching  them,  and  you  will  escape  unhurt  gen- 
erally. 


PRUNING.  266 

STOCKS    PRUNED    NOW   ARE    BETTER    FOR    WINTER. 

Besides  the  advantage  of  saving  a  large  brood  by 
pruning  at  this  season,  such  stocks  will  usually  refill 
before  foil,  and  are  much  better  for  wintering,  which 
is  not  the  case  when  it  is  done  later.  We  must  of 
necessity  then  waste  the  brood,  and  have  a  large  space 
Tinoccupied  with  combs  through  the  winter.  But  few 
combs  can  then  be  made,  and  those  few  must  be  at 
the  expense  of  their  winter  stores,  unless  we  resort  to 
feeding. 

These  objections  apply  with  greater  force  to  pruning 
in  March  or  April.  The  loss  of  brood  is  of  much  more 
consequence  now,  than  in  mid-summer,  or  even  later, 
and  a  space  to  be  filled  with  combs  is  a  serious  dis- 
advantage. It  is  important  that  the  bees  should  de- 
vote their  whole  attention  now  to  rearing  brood,  and 
be  ready  to  cast  their  swarms  as  early  as  possible. 
One  early  swarm  is  worth  two  late  ones.  Suppose  a 
stock,  instead  of  collecting  food  and  nursing  its  young, 
is  compelled  to  expend  its  honey  and  labor  in  secret- 
ing wax  and  constructing  combs  before  it  can  proceed 
with  breeding  advantageously,  it  must  of  necessity  be 
some  weeks  later. 

Further,  I  have  always  found  it  best  to  have  the 
bees  out  of  the  way,  during  this  operation.  It  will 
be  found  much  more  difficult  to  drive  the  bees  out  of 
a  hive  in  the  cool  weather  of  March  or  April,  than  in 
summer,  as  they  seem  unwilling  to  shift  their  warm 
quarters  and  go  into  a  cold  hive. 

It  is  presumed  the  reader  will  bear  in  mind  the  dis- 
12 


266  SUMMER. 

advantages  already  given  of  too  frequently  renewing 
combs ;  the  little  value  of  combs  for  storing  honey, 
for  our  use^  after  being  once  used  for  breeding ;  the 
necessity  of  the  bees  using  them  as  long  as  they 
possibly  will  answer  ;  and  not  compel  them  to  be  fill- 
ing the  hive,  when  they  might  be  storing  honey  of  the 
purest  quality  in  boxes,  &c. 

Vide  remarks  on  this  subject  on  page  80,  Chapter  II. 


CHAPTEK    XVII. 

DISEASED   BROOD. 

This,  like  many  other  chapters  in  this  work,  is 
probably  new,  as  I  never  saw  one  thus  headed.  A 
few  newspaper  discussions  are  about  all  that  have  yet 
appeared  on  this  subject. 

NOT  GENERALLY  UNDERSTOOD. 

This  disease  is  probably  of  recent  origin,  Mr. 
Miner,  it  appears,  knew  nothing  of  it  until  he  moved 
from  Long  Island  to  Oneida  County,  in  this  State. 
Mr.  Weeks,  in  a  communication  to  the  N.  E.  Farmer, 
says,  "  Since  the  potato  rot  commenced,  I  have  lost 
one-fourth  of  my  stocks  annually,  by  this  disease  ;"  at 
the  same  time  adds  his  fears,  that  "  this  race  of  in- 
sects will  become  extinct  from  this  cause,  if  not  arrest- 
ed." (Perhaps  I  ought  to  mention,  that  he  speaks  of 
it  as  attacking  the  "chrysalis"  instead  of  the  larva; 
but  as  every  thing  else  about  it  agrees  exactly,  there 
is  but  little  doubt  of  its  being  all  one  thing.) 


DISEASED   BKOOD.  207 


MY    OWN    EXPERIENCE. 


Mj  first  experience  will  probably  go  back  to  a  date 
beyond  many  others  ;  it  is  almost  twenty  years  since 
the  first  case  was  noticed.  I  had  kept  bees  but  four 
or  five  years  when  I  discovered  it  in  one  of  my  best 
stocks ;  in  fact,  it  was  No.  1  in  May  and  first  of  June.  It 
cast  no  swarm  through  the  summer ;  and  now,  instead 
of  being  crowded  with  bees,  it  contained  but  very 
few ;  so  few,  that  I  dared  not  attempt  to  winter  it. 
What  was  the  matter  ?  I  had  then  never  dreamed 
of  ascertaining  the  condition  of  a  stock  while  there 
were  bees  in  the  way,  but  was  like  the  unskilful  phy- 
sician who  is  obliged  to  wait  for  the  death  of  his  pa- 
tient, that  he  may  dissect  and  discover  the  cause.  I 
accordingly  consigned  what  few  bees  there  were  to 
the  "  brimstone  pit." 


DESCRIPTION    OF    DISEASE. 


A  '^joost  mortem'^  examination  revealed  the  follow- 
mg  circumstances :  Nine-tenths  of  the  breeding-cells 
were  found  to  contain  young  bees  in  the  larva  state, 
stretched  out  at  full  length,  sealed  over,  dead,  black, 
putrid,  and  emitting  a  disagreeable  stench.  Now  here 
was  one  link  in  the  chain  of  cause  and  effect.  I 
learned  why  there  was  a  scarcity  of  bees  in  the 
hive.  What  should  have  constituted  their  increase, 
had  died  in  the  cells  ;  none  of  them  were  removed, 
consequently  but  few  cells,  where  any  bees  could  be 
matured,  were  left. 


268  SUMMER. 

THE    CAUSE    UNCERTAIN. 

But  when  I  attempted  the  next  link  in  the  chain, 
(to  wit,)  "What  caused  the  death  of  this  brood  just  at 
this  stage  of  development  ?  I  was  obliged  to  stop. 
Not  the  least  satisfaction  could  be  obtained.  All  in- 
quiries among  the  bee-keepers  of  mj  acquaintance 
were  met  with  profound  ignorance.  They  had  "  never 
heard  of  it !"  No  work  on  bees  that  I  consulted  ever 
mentioned  it. 

Subsequently,  I  had  more  stocks  in  the  same  situ- 
ation. I  found,  whenever  the  disease  existed  to  any 
extent,  that  the  few  bees  matured  were  insufficient  to 
replace  those  that  were  lost ;  that  the  colony  rapidly 
declined,  and  never  afterwards  cast  a  swarm  ! 

REMEDIAL    EXPERIMENTS. 

As  for  remedies,  I  tried  pruning  out  all  those  combs 
containing  brood,  leaving  only  such  as  contained 
honey,  and  lefr  the  bees  construct  new  for  breeding. 
It  was  "  no  use,"  these  new  combs  were  invariably 
filled  with  diseased  brood !  The  only  thing  effectual 
was  to  drive  out  the  bees,  into  an  empty  hive.  In 
this  way,  when  done  in  season,  I  generally  succeeded 
in  rearing  a  healthy  stock.  But  here  was  a  loss  of  all 
surplus  honey,  and  a  swarm  or  two  that  might  have 
been  obtained  from  a  healthy  one 

PUBLIC    INQUIRY    AND    ANSWERS. 

I  had  so  many  cases  of  the  kind,  that  I  became 
somewhat  alarmed,  and  made  inquiry  through  the 
Cultivator,  (an  agricultural  paper,)  as  to  a  cause,  and 
remedy,  offering  a  "  reward  for   one  that  would  not 


DISEASED   BROOD.  269 

fail  when  thoroughly  tested,"  &c.  Mr.  Weeks,  in 
answer,  said,  "  that  cold  weather  in  spring  chilling 
the  brood  was  the  cause."  (This  was  several  years 
prior  to  his  article  in  the  IST.  E.  Farmer.)  Another 
gentleman  said,  "  dead  bees  and  filth  that  accumulated 
during  winter,  when  suffered  to  remain  in  the  spring, 
was  the  cause."  A  few  years  after,  another  corres- 
pondent appeared  in  the  Cultivator,  giving  particulars 
of  his  experience,  proving  very  conclusively  to  him- 
self and  many  others,  that  cold  was  the  cause.  Hav- 
ing mislaid  the  paper  containing  his  article,  I  will 
endeavor  to  quote  correctly  from  memory.  He  had 
"  three  swarms  issue  in  one  day  ;  the  weather  during 
tlie  day  changed  from  very  hot  to  the  other  extreme, 
producing  frost  in  many  places  the  next  morning. 
These  swarms  had  left  but  few  bees  in  the  old  stocks, 
and  the  cold  forced  them  up  among  the  combs  for 
mutual  warmth  ;  the  brood  near  the  bottom,  thus  left 
without  bees  to  protect  it  with  animal  heat,  became 
chilled,  and  the  consequence  was  diseased  larvae." 
He  then  reasoned  thus  :  "  If  the  eggs  of  a  fowl,  at 
any  time  near  the  end  of  incubation,  become  chilled 
from  any  cause,  it  stops  all  further  development. 
Bees  are  developed  by  continued  heat,  on  the  same 
principle,  and  a  chill  produces  the  same  effect,  &c. ; 
afterwards,  other  swarms  issued  under  precisely  simi- 
lar circumstances ;  but  these  old  stocks  were  covered 
with  a  blanket  through  the  night,  which  enabled  the 
bees  to  keep  at  the  bottom  of  the  hive.  In  a  few 
days,  enough  were  hatched  to  render  this  trouble  un- 
necessary.    These  last  remained  healthy."     He  fur- 


270  SUMMER. 

ther  says,  that  "last  spring  was  the  first  time  I  ever 
knew  them  to  become  diseased  before  swarming  had 
thinned  the  population.  The  weather  was  remarkably 
pleasant  through  April.  The  bees  obtained  great 
quantities  of  pollen  and  honey,  and  by  this  means 
extended  their  brood  farther  than  usual  at  this  season. 
Subsequent  chilly  weather  in  May,  caused  the  bees  to 
desert  a  portion  of  brood,  which  were  destroyed  by 
the  chill." 

Now  this  is  reasoning  from  cause  to  effect  very 
consistently. 

ANSWERS    NOT    SATISFACTORY. 

Had  I  no  experience  further  than  this,  I  should, 
perhaps,  rest  satisfied  as  to  the  cause,  and  should  en- 
deavor to  apply  the  remedy.  Several  other  writers 
have  appeared  in  different  papers,  on  this  subject, 
and  nearly  all  who  assign  a  cause  have  given  this  one 
as  the  most  probable.  Now  I  have  known  the  chry- 
salis in  a  few  stocks  to  be  chilled  and  destroyed  by  a 
sudden  turn  of  cold  weather,  yet  these  were  removed 
by  the  bees  soon  after,  and  the  stocks  remained  heal- 
thy. To  me  the  cause  assigned  appears  inadquate  to 
produce  all  the  results  with  the  larvae.  After  close, 
patient  observation  of  fifteen  years,  I  have  never  yet 
been  wholly  satisfied  that  any  one  instance  among  my 
bees,  was  thus  produced. 

A    CAUSE    SUGGESTED. 

We  are  all  familiar  to  some  extent  with  the  conta- 
gious diseases  of  the  human  family,  such  as  small-pox. 


DISEASED   BROOD.  271 

whooping-cough,  and  measles,  and  their  rapid  spread 
from  a  given  point,  &c.  We  must  also  admit  that 
some  cause  or  causes,  adequate  to  the  effect,  must 
have  produced  the  first  case.  To  contagion,  then, 
I  would  attribute  the  spread  of  this  disease  of  our 
bees,  at  least  nineteen  cases  in  twenty.  I  will  admit, 
if  you  please,  that  one  stock  in  twenty  or  fifty  may  be 
somewhat  affected  by  a  chill  to  a  small  extent.  It  is 
only  a  portion  of  the  brood  that  is  in  danger — only 
such  as  have  been  sealed  over,  and  before  they  have 
progressed  to  the  chrysalis  state,  are  attacked.  How 
many  then  can  there  be  in  a  hive  at  any  one  time,  in 
just  the  right  stage  of  development  to  receive  the  fatal 
chill  ?  Of  course  there  will  be  some  ;  but  they  should 
be  confined  to  the  cells  near  the  bottom,  where  the 
bees  had  left  them  exposed.  These  should  be  all ; 
and  these  few  would  never  seriously  damage  the  stock. 
Why  then  does  this  disease,  when  thoroughly  started, 
spread  so  rapidly  throughout  all  the  combs  in  the 
hive  ?  Will  it  be  said  that  the  chill  is  repeated  every 
few  days  through  the  summer  ?  Or  will  it  be  admitted 
that  something  else  may  continue  it  ? 

I  think  there  must  be  other  causes,  besides  the  chill, 
even  to  start  it,  in  most  cases.  As  our  practice  wiU 
be  in  accordance  with  the  view  we  take  of  this  matter, 
and  the  result  of  our  course  will  be  somewhat  import- 
ant, I  will  give  some  of  the  reasons  that  have  led  to 
this  conclusion. 


272  SUMMER. 

REASONS    FOR    THE    OPINION. 

For  instance,  I  had  all  the  bees  of  a  good  swarm 
leave  the  hive  in  March ;  after  flying  a  time,  thej 
united  with  another  good  stock,  making  double  the 
usual  number  of  bees  at  this  season ;  enough  to  keep 
the  brood  sufficiently  warm  at  any  time ;  if  other  stocks 
witb  half  or  a  quarter  of  the  number  could.  By  the 
middle  of  June,  the  bees  were  much  reduced,  and  had 
not  cast  a  swarm.  It  was  examined,  and  the  brood 
was  found  badly  diseased.  My  best  and  most  popu- 
lous stocks,  in  spring,  are  just  as  liable,  and  I  might 
add  more  so,  than  smaller  or  weaker  families.  I  have 
had  two  large  swarms  unite,  and  were  hived  together, 
that  were  diseased  the  next  autumn.  These  cases 
prove  strongly,  if  not  conclusively,  that  animal  heat  is 
not  the  only  requisite.  The  fact  that  when  I  had 
pruned  out  all  affected  comb  from  a  diseased  stock,  and 
left  honey  in  the  top  and  outside  pieces,  and  the  bees 
constructed  new  for  breeding,  and  the  brood  in  such 
were  invariably  affected,  though  only  a  few  at  first, 
and  increasing  as  the  combs  were  extended ;  led  me 
to  suppose  that  it  was  a  contagious  disease,  and  the 
virus  was  contained  in  the  honej^.  Some  of  it  -had 
been  left  in  these  stocks,  and  very  probably  the  bees 
had  fed  it  to  the  brood.  To  test  this  principle  still 
further,  I  drove  all  the  bees  from  such  diseased  stocks, 
strained  the  honey,  and  fed  it  to  several  young  healthy 
swarms  soon  after  being  hived.  When  examined  a 
few  weeks  after,  every  one,  without  an  exception,  had 
caught  the  contagion. 

Here  then  is  a  clue  to  the  cause  of  this  disease 


DISEASED   BROOD.  273 

spreading,  whether  we  have  its  origin  or  not.  We  will 
now  see  if  we  can  trace  it  through,  if  there  is  any  con- 
sistency in  its  transfer  from  one  stock  to  another. 

CAUSE  OF    ITS  SPREADING. 

Suppose  one  stock  has  caught  the  infection,  but  a 
small  portion  of  the  brood  is  dead.  In  the  heat  of  the 
hive,  it  soon  becomes  putrid ;  other  cells  adjoining 
with  larvse  of  the  right  age  are  soon  in  the  same  con- 
dition. All  the  breeding  combs  in  the  hive  become 
one  putrid  mass,  with  an  exception,  perhaps,  of  one  in 
ten,  twenty  or  a  hundred,  that  may  perfect  a  bee. 
Thus  the  increase  of  bees  is  not  enough  to  replace  the 
old  ones  that  are  continually  dying  off.  It  is  plain, 
therefore,  that  this  stock  must  soon  dwindle  down  to 
a  very  small  family.  Now  let  a  scarcity  of  honey  oc- 
cur in  the  fields,  this  poor  stock  cannot  be  properly 
guarded,  and  is  easily  plundered  of  its  contents  by 
the  others.  Honey  is  taken  that  is  in  close  proximity 
to  dead  bodies,  corrupting  by  thousands,  creating  a 
pestilential  vapor,  of  which  it  has  probably  absorbed 
a  portion.  The  seeds  of  destruction  are  by  this  means 
carried  into  healthy  stocks.  In  a  short  time,  these  in 
turn  fall  victims  to  the  scourge ;  and  soon  dwindle 
away,  when  some  other  strong  stock  is  able  to  carry 
off  their  stores ;  and  only  stop,  perhaps,  at  the  last 
stock  !  The  moth  is  ever  ready  with  her  burden  of 
eggs,  which  she  now  without  hindrance  deposits  di- 
rectly on  the  combs.  In  a  short  time  the  worms  finish 
up  the  whole  business,  and  are  judged  guilty  of  the 
12* 


274  SUMMER. 

whole  charge ;  merely  because  they  are  found  carry- 
ing out  effects  that  speedily  follow  such  causes. 

Let  the  reader  who  doubts  this  theory,  simply  strain 
out  honey,  vitiated  in  this  way,  and  feed  it  to  a  few 
stocks  or  swarms,  that  are  healthy,  and  if  they  escape, 
communicate  the  fact  to  the  public.  But  should  he 
become  satisfied  that  such  honey  is  poison  to  his  bees, 
he  will  with  me,  and  all  others  interested,  wish  to  stop 
this  growing  evil. 

NOT    EASILY    DETECTED    AT    FIRST. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  detect  the  first  hundred  or  two 
that  die  in  a  stock.  But  when  nine-tenths  of  the 
breeding  cells  hold  putrid  larvae,  there  is  but  very  little 
trouble  in  making  out  a  correct  diagnosis.  The  bees 
are  few  and  inactive.  When  passing  the  hive  our  ol- 
factories are  saluted  with  a  nauseous  effluvia,  arising 
from  this  corrupting  mass.  Now,  if  we  Avish,  or  expect 
to  escape,  the  most  severe  penalty,  our  neglect  must 
never  allow  this  extent  of  progression  before  such  a 
stock  is  removed.  Therefore,  we  must  watch  symp- 
toms— ascertain  the  presence  of  the  disease  at  the  ear- 
liest moment  possible. 

SYMPTOMS   TO  BE  OBSERVED. 

As  no  part  of  the  breeding  season  is  exempt,  the 
stocks  should  be  carefully  observed  during  spring,  and 
fore  part  of  summer,  relative  to  increase  of  bees.  When 
one  or  more  is  much  behind  others  in  this  respect, 
make  an  examination  immediately.     (I  would  here 


DISEASED   BROOD.  275 

urge  again  the  convenience  of  the  simple,cominoii  hive, 
over  those  more  complicated,  or  suspended,  and  diffi- 
cult to  turn  over.  In  one  case  we  might  make  an  ex- 
amination in  season ;  in  the  other,  too  much  trouble 
and  difficulty  might  cause  it  to  be  put  off  too  long.) 
The  hive  must  be  inverted,  and  the  bees  smoked  out 
of  the  way.  Our  attention  is  to  be  directed  to  the 
breeding  cells  ;  with  a  sharp-pointed  knife,  proceed  to 
cut  off  the  ends  of  some  of  them  that  appear  to  be  the 
oldest;  bearing  in  mind  that  young  bees  are  always 
white,  until  some  time  after  they  take  the  chrysalis 
state.  Therefore,  if  a  larva  is  found  of  a  dark  color, 
it  is  dead  !  Should  a  dozen  such  be  found,  the  stock 
should  be  condemned  at  once,  and  all  the  bees  driven 
into  an  empty  hive.  (The  directions  for  this  have 
been  given,  see  page  31.)  If  honey  should  be  scarce, 
at  the  time,  they  should  be  fed. 

SCALDIXG   THE    HONET    TO    DESTROY   THE    POISON   FOR    FEEDING. 

The  honey  from  the  old  hive  may  be  used,  if  you 
will  only  first  destroy  the  virus.  This,  I  have  ascer- 
tained, may  be  done  by  scalding :  add  a  half-pint  of 
water  to  about  ten  lbs.  ;  stir  it  well,  and  heat  it  to  the 
boiling  point,  and  carefully  remove  all  the  scum. 

Stocks  in  which  the  disease  has  not  progressed  too 
far,  will  generally  swarm. 

WHEN    TO    EXAMINE    STOCKS    THAT    HAVE    SWARMED. 

Three  weeks  from  the  first  swarm,  will  be  the  time 
to  examine  them.  I  make  it  a  rule  to  inspect  all  my 
stocks  at  this  period.     It  is  easily  done  now,  as  about 


276  SUMMER. 

all  the  healt'ay  brood  (except  drones)  should  be  ma- 
tured in  that  time.  By  perseverance  in  these  rules,  I 
allow  no  stocks  to  dwindle  away  until  they  are  plun- 
dered by  others.  If  all  my  neighbors  were  equally 
careful,  this  disease  would  probably  soon  disappear. 
This  is  like  one  careless  farmer  allowing  a  noxious 
weed  to  mature  seeds,  to  be  wafted  by  winds  on  the 
lands  of  a  careful  neighbor,  who  must  fortify  his  mind 
to  continual  vigilance,  or  endure  the  injury  of  a  foul 
pest.  So  with  the  successful  apiarian ;  in  sections 
where  the  disease  has  appeared  (it  has  not  in  all),  he 
must  be  continually  on  the  watch  ;  it  is  the  price  of 
success. 

CARE    IN    SELECTING    STOCK    HIVES    FOR    WINTER. 

Again,  after  the  breeding  season  is  over,  in  the  fall, 
every  stock  should  be  thoroughly  inspected^  and  all  diseased 
ones  condemned  for  stock  hives.  It  is  better  to  do  it, 
even  if  it  should  take  the  last  one.  It  would  pay 
much  better  to  procure  others  instead,  that  are  healthy. 

Persons  wishing  to  eat  the  honey  from  such  hives, 
will  experience  no  bad  effects  from  it,  if  they  are 
careful  to  remove  all  the  dead  brood,  as  they  take  it 
out  of  the  hive. 

The  greatest  distance  that  I  ever  knew  bees  to  go, 
and  plunder  a  defenceless  stock  of  its  contents,  was 
three-fourths  of  a  mile.  Very  likely  they  would  go 
farther  on  some  occasions,  but  not  often. 

ACCUSATIONS    NOT    ALWAYS    RIGHT. 

Careless  bee-keepers,  when  their  hives  are  thus 
robbed,  feel  regret,  or  are  more  often  vexed  at  some- 


IRRITABILITY   OF   BEES.  277 

body — at  the  result  of  their  carelessness.  The  per- 
son keeping  most  bees  in  a  neighborhood,  must 
expect  to  be  accountable  for  all  effects  of  their  igno- 
rance, mismanagement,  or  carelessness,  and  consequent 
"bad  luck;"  when  all  the  honey  thus  obtained, 
probably  carries  with  it  more  mischief  than  can  be 
eradicated  in  a  twelvemonth,  thereby  giving  the  real 
cause  of  complaint  to  the  other  party. 


CHAPTEE    XVIII. 

IRRITABILITY   OF   BEES. 

Keeping  bees  good-natured,  offers  a  pretty  fair 
subject  for  ridicule:  it  seems  rather  too  absurd  to 
teach  a  hee  anything !  Nevertheless,  it  is  worth  while 
to  think  of  it  a  little.  Most  of  us  know  that  by  inju- 
dicious training,  horses,  cattle,  dogs,  &c.,  may  be  ren- 
dered extremely  vicious.  If  there  is  no  perceptible 
analogy  between  these  and  bees,  experience  proves 
that  they  may  be  made  ten  times  more  irritable  than 
they  naturally  would  be. 

THEIR    MEANS    OF    DEFENCE. 

Nature  has  armed  them  with  means  to  defend  their 
stores,  and  provided  them  with  combativeness  suffi- 
cient to  use  them  when  necessary.  This  could  not  be 
bettered.  If  they  were  powerless  to  repel  an  enemy, 
there  are  a  thousand  lazy  depredators,  man  not  ex- 
cepted, who  would  prey  upon  the  fruits  of  their  in- 
dustry, leaving  them  to  starve.     Had  it  been  so  ar- 


278  SUMMER. 

ranged,  this  industrious  insect  would  probably  have 
long  since  been  extinct. 

TIME    OF    GREATEST    IRRITABILITY. 

The  season  of  their  greatest  caution,  in  this  section, 
is  August,  during  the  flowers  of  buckwheat.  It  is 
then  their  stores  are  greatest.  As  soon  as  a  stock  is 
pretty  well  supplied  with  this  world's  goods,  like 
some  bipeds,  they  become  very  haughty,  proud,  aris- 
tocratic, and  insolent.  A  great  many  things  are  con- 
strued into  insults,  that  in  their  days  of  adversity 
would  pass  unnoticed ;  but  now  it  is  becoming  and 
proper  for  their  honor  to  show  a  "just  resentment." 
It  behooves  us,  therefore,  to  ascertain  what  are  con- 
sidered insults. 

PROPER  CONDUCT. 

First,  all  quick  motions,  such  as  running,  striking, 
&c.,  about  them,  are  noticed.  If  our  movements  among 
them  are  slow,  cautious,  humble,  and  respectful,  we 
are  often  let  to  pass  unmolested,  having  manifested  a 
becoming  deportment.  Yet  the  exhalations  from 
some  persons  appear  very  offensive,  as  they  attack 
them  much  sooner  than  others  ;  though  I  apprehend 
there  is  not  so  great  a  difference  as  many  suppose. 
Whenever  an  attack  is  made,  and  a  sting  follows,  the 
venom  thus  imparted  to  the  air,  if  by  only  one.  is 
perceived  by  others  at  some  distance,  which  will  im- 
mediately approach  the  scene,  and  more  stings  are 
likely  to  follow  than  if  the  first  had  not  been.       , 


IRKITABILITY   OF   BEES.  2T9 

HOW   TO    PROCEED   WHEN    ATTACKED. 

Striking  them  down  renders  them  ten  times  more 
furious.  Not  in  the  least  daunted,  they  return  to  the 
attack.  Not  the  least  show  of  fear  is  perceived.  Even 
after  losing  their  sting,  they  obstinately  refuse  to 
desist.  It  is  much  the  best  way  to  walk  as  quietly  as 
possible  to  the  shelter  of  some  bush,  or  to  the  house. 
They  will  seldom  go  inside  of  the  door. 

A  person's  breath  OFFENSIVE,  AND  OTHER  CAUSES. 

The  breath  of  a  person  inside  the  hive,  or  among 
them,  when  clustered  outside,  is  considered  in  the  tri- 
bunals of  their  insect  wisdom  as  the  greatest  indignity. 
A  sudden  jar,  sometimes  made  by  carelessly  turning 
up  the  hive,  is  another.  After  being  once  thoroughly 
irritated  in  this  way,  they  remember  it  for  weeks,  and 
are  continually  on  the  alert ;  the  moment  the  hive  is 
touched,  they  are  read}^  to  salute  a  person's  face. 
When  slides  of  tin  or  zinc  are  used  to  cut  off  the  com- 
munication between  the  hives  and  boxes,  some  of  the 
bees  are  apt  to  be  crushed  or  cut  in  two.  This  they 
remember,  and  retaliate,  as  occasion  offers  ;  and  it  may 
be  when  quietly  walking  in  the  apiary. 

THEIR    MANNER    OF    ATTACK. 

I  must  disagTee  with  any  one  who  says  we  always 
have  warning  before  being  stung.  I  have  been  stung 
a  feio  times  myself  Two-thirds  of  them  were  received 
without  the  least  notice — the  first  intimation  was  the 
"blow."  At  other  times,  when  fully  determined  on 
vengeance,  I  have  had  them  strike  my  hat  and  remain 


280  SUMMER. 

a  moment  endeavoring  to  effect  their  object.  In  this 
case,  I  have  warning  to  hold  down  ray  face  to  protect 
it  from  the  next  attempt,  which  is  quite  sure  to  fol- 
low. As  they  fly  horizontally,  the  face  held  in  that 
position  is  not  so  liable  to  be  attacked.  When  they' 
are  not  so  thoroughly  charged  with  anger,  they  often 
approach  in  merely  a  threatening  attitude,  buzzing 
around  very  provokingly  for  several  minutes  in  close 
proximity  to  our  ears  and  face,  apparently  to  ascertain 
our  intentions.  If  nothing  hostile  or  displeasing  is 
perceived,  they  will  generally  leave ;  but  should  a 
quick  motion  or  offensive  breath  offend  them,  the 
dreaded  result  is  almost  sure  to  follow.  Too  many 
people  are  apt  to  take  these  threatening  manifesta- 
tions as  positive  intentions  to  sting.  When  these 
things  can  be  quietly  endured,  and  at  the  same  time 
leave  their  vicinity,  it  generally  ends  peaceably.  They 
never  make  an  attack  while  away  from  their  home  in. 
quest  of  honey,  or  on  their  return,  until  they  have 
entered  the  hive.  It  is  only  in  the  hive  and  its 
vicinity  that  we  expect  to  meet  this  irascible  tempera- 
ment, which  should  not  be  allowed,  or  at  least  may 
be  subdued  in  a  great  measure,  if  not  entirely,  by 
doing  things  in  a  quiet  manner,  and  by  the  use  of 
tobacco  smoke.  Any  person  having  the  care  of  bees 
should  go  armed  with  this  powerful  weapon.  As  bees 
are  not  much  affected  with  smoke,  while  flying  in  the 
air,  but  will  have  their  own  way,  we  must  take  them 
In  the  hive  as  the  place  to  teach  them  a  proper  deport- 
ment! 

Those  who  are  accustomed  to  smoking  will  find  a 


IRRITABILITY   OF   BEES.  281 

pipe  or  segar  very  convenient  here.  But  such  as  are 
not  would  do  better,  perhaps,  not  to  learn  a  bad  habit. 
T  will  therefore  give  a  simple  substitute. 

SMOKER  DESCRIBED. 

Get  a  tube  of  tin  about  five-eighths  of  an  inch  di- 
ameter, five  or  six  inches  in  length ;  make  stoppers 
of  wood  to  fit  both  ends,  two  and  a  half  or  three 
inches  long  ;  with  your  nail-gimlet  make  a  hole 
through  them  lengthwise :  when  put  together  it  should 
be  about  ten  inches.  The  ends  may  be  tapered.  On 
one  end  leave  a  notch,  that  it  may  be  held  with  the 
teeth,  which  is  the  most  convenient  way,  as  you  will 
often  want  to  use  both  hands :  it  is  also  always  ready, 
without  any  trouble  to  blow  through,  and  also  to  keep 
the  tobacco  burning.  When  ready  to  operate,  fill  the 
tube  with  tobacco,  ignite  it,  and  put  in  the  stoppers ; 
by  blowing  through  it  you  keep  the  tobacco  burning 
while  the  smoke  issues  at  the  other  end. 

EFFECT    OF    TOBACCO    SMOKE. 

We  can  now  subdue  these  combative  propensities, 
or  render  them  harmless  ;  turn  their  anger  to  submis- 
sion, and  make  them  yield  their  treasures  to  the  hands 
of  the  spoiler  without  an  effort  of  resistance  !  When 
once  overpowered,  they  seem  to  lose  all  knowledge 
of  their  strength,  and  no  slave  can  be  more  submis- 
sive !  After  the  effects  of  the  smoke  have  passed  off, 
their  former  animosity  will  return.  Should  any  re- 
sentment be  shown  on  raising  a  hive,  blow  in  the 
smoke;  they  immediately  retreat,  "begging  pardon." 


282  SUMMER. 

After  a  few  times,  they  learn  "  it's  no  use,"  and  allow 
an  inspection.  If  you  wish  to  take  off  a  box,  raise  it 
just  enough  to  blow  under  the  smoke;  there  is  no 
trouble ;  you  can  replace  it  with  another ;  the  bees 
are  kept  out  of  the  way  with  a  little  more  smoke,  and 
no  anger  created  about  it  to  he  remembered.  Those  in  the 
box  are  all  submission  ;  they  can  be  carried  away  and 
handled  as  you  please,  without  a  possibility  of  getting 
them  irritated,  until  they  once  more  get  home,  and 
then  are  much  more  "  amiable"  than  if  the  box  had 
been  taken  without  the  smoke.  They  seem  to  forget, 
or  do  not  realize  anything  of  the  transaction.  When- 
bees  are  to  be  transferred  to  a  new  hive,  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  be  so  very  particular  about  the  escape  of  a 
single  bee  ;  no  fears  need  be  entertained  of  such  as  get 
out.  In  driving,  the  loud  humming  indicates  their 
submission  ;  the  upper  hive  can  then  be  safely  raised 
at  any  time.  After  being  thus  driven  out,  they  may 
be  pushed  about  with  impunity,  and  still  be  quiet ! 
In  short,  by  using  smoke  on  all  occasions  where  they 
would  be  likely  to  be  disturbed  without  it  by  our 
meddling  with  them,  it  has  a  tendency  to  keep  dor- 
mant their  combative  propensities.  When  these  have 
never  been  aroused,  there  is  much  less  danger  from 
their  attacks  while  walking  or  looking  among  them. 
Any  one  wishing  farther  proof,  I  would  recommend 
the  experiment  of  managing  one  year  with  spioke,  and 
the  next  without. 

STING   DESCRIBED. 

Their  sting,  as  it  appears  to  the  naked  eye,  is  but  a 


lERITABILITY   OF  BEES.  283 

tiny  instrument  of  war ;  so  small,  indeed,  that  its 
wound  would  pass  unheeded  by  all  the  larger  animals, 
if  it  was  not  for  the  poison  introduced  at  the  same  in- 
stant. It  has  been  described  as  being  "  composed  of 
three  parts,  a  sheath  and  two  darts.  Both  the  darts 
are  furnished  with  small  points  or  barbs  like  a  fish- 
hook," that  hold  it  when  introduced  into  the  flesh ; 
the  bee  being  compelled  to  leave  it  behind. 

DOES    ITS    LOSS    PROVE    FATAL  ? 

It  is  said  "  to  the  bee  itself  this  mutilation  proves 
fatal."  This  last  is  another  assertion  for  fact,  so  often 
repeated,  that  perhaps  we  might  as  well  admit  it ; 
seeing  the  difficulty  we  should  have  in  disproving  it. 
Only  think  of  the  impossibility  of  keeping  our  eye, 
for  five  minutes,  on  a  bee  that  is  flying  about,  after  it 
has  left  its  sting.  Yet  there  are  some  persons  so  very 
particular  about  what  they  receive  as  facts,  that  they 
would  require  this  very  unreasonable  thing  of  watch- 
ing a  bee  till  it  died,  before  they  could  be  positively 
sure  that  the  loss  of  its  sting  caused  its  death.  (It  is 
much  easier  to  guess.)  They  might  even  take  analo- 
gy, and  say  that  other  insects  possess  so  little  sensation 
that  they  have  been  known  to  recover  after  much 
more  extensive  mutilation — that  beetles  have  lived  for 
months  under  circumstances  that  would  have  instant- 
ly killed  some  of  the  higher  animals — that  spiders 
ofl,en  reproduce  a  leg,  even  lobsters  can  replace  a  lost 
claw,  &c,  I  have  put  off  describing  any  protection 
against  their  attacks,  because  I  wish  to  get  up  a  little 
more  courage  in  our  doings  among  them.     Yet  it  is 


284  SUMMER. 

folly  to  expect  all  will  manage  successfully  without 
something  for  defence. 

MEANS    OF    PROTECTION. 

The  face  and  hands  are  most  exposed ;  for  the 
latter,  thick  woollen  mittens  or  gloves  are  best ;  the 
sting  is  generally  left  when  thrust  into  a  leather 
glove.  For  the  face  procure  one  and  a  half  yards  of 
thin  muslin  or  calico,  sew  the  ends  together,  the  upper 
end  gathered  on  a  string  small  enough  to  prevent  it 
slipping  over  the  head  when  put  on.  An  arm-hole  is 
to  be  cut  out  on  each  side ;  below  is  another  string  to 
gather  it  close  to  the  body.  As  I  do  not  expect  you 
to  work  in  the  dark,  we  will  have  a  place  cut  out  in 
front,  and  a  piece  of  coarse  lace  inserted  ;  that  which 
will  just  prevent  a  bee  from  passing,  is  best,  as  it 
gives  us  a  better  chance  to  see.  To  keep  it  from  fall- 
ing against  the  face,  a  wire  is  bent  around  and  sewed 
fast.  Any  person  that  knows  how  to  put  on  a  shirt 
will  manage  this.  When  thus  equipped,  and  other 
garments  of  proper  thickness,  the  most  timid  ought 
not  to  hesitate  to  venture  among  them,  when  necessary. 
I  cannot  avoid  cautioning  you  again  to  beware  of 
irritating  your  bees,  until  this  protection  is  necessary, 
as  it  is  a  rather  bad  state  of  things.  With  this  on, 
you  cannot  conveniently  use  any  smoke.  To  put  this 
on  and  off  is  considerable  trouble,  and  every  time  you 
go  among  them,  if  you  have  to  resort  to  this,  I  fear 
some  necessary  duties  will  be  neglected.  Whenever 
a  partial  protection  will  do,  I  would  recommend  a 
handkerchief;  it  is  always  at  hand,  and  can  be  put  on 


IRRITABILITY    OF  BEES.  285 

in  a  moment ;  throw  it  over  the  head,  letting  the  ends 
fall  around  the  neck  and  shoulders,  covering  all  but 
the  face.  The  hat  can  come  on  over  it.  As  for  the  face, 
^Yheneve^  a  bee  comes  around  in  a  menacing  attitude, 
hold  it  down — unless  he  stings  at  the  first  onset,  there 
is  not  much  risk. 

REMEDIES    FOR    STINGS. 

Concerning  the  remedies  for  stings,  it  is  a  hard 
matter  to  tell  which  is  the  best.  There  is  so  much 
diflference  in  the  effect  in  different  indi^dduals,  and  the 
different  parts  of  the  body,  as  well  as  the  depth  the 
sting  reaches,  that  a  great  variety  of  remedies  are  re- 
commended. 

A  person  is  slightly  stung,  and  applies  something 
as  an  antidote  ;  the  effect  of  the  sting  is  trifling,  as 
perhaps  it  would  have  been  without  anything,  and  the 
medicine  is  forthwith  extolled  as  a  sovereign  remedy. 
I  have  been  thus  deceived ;  when  slightly  stung  ap- 
plied what  I  thought  cured  in  one  case,  when  in  the  next 
the  sting  might  have  penetrated  deeper,  or  in  some 
other  place,  and  the  remedy  would  seem  to  have  no 
effect.  For  the  last  few  years,  I  have  not  made  any 
application  whatever  for  myself,  and  the  effect  is  no 
worse,  nor  even  as  bad  as  formerly.  (This,  I  am  told,  is 
because  the  system  is  hardened,  and  now  can  resist  or 
throw  off  the  effects.)  Among  the  remedies  recom- 
mended, are  saleratus  and  water,  salt  and  water,  soft- 
soap  mixed  with  salt,  a  raw  onion  cut  in  two  and  one- 
half  applied,  mud  or  clay  mixed  pretty  wet  and 
changed  often,  tobacco  wet  and  rubbed  thoroughly  to 


286  SUMMER. 

get  at  the  strength,  and  cold  water  constantly  applied. 
To  cure  the  smart,  the  application  of  tobacco  is  svrong- 
ly  urged,  and  cold  water  is  spoken  of  with  equal 
favor  to  prevent  the  swelling. 

When  stung  in  the  throat,  drinking  often  of  salt 
and  water  is  said  will  prevent  serious  consequences. 

Whether  any  of  these  remedies  are  applied  or  not, 
I  suppose  it  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  sting  should 
be  pulled  out  as  soon  as  practicable. 


CHAPTEE    XIX. 

ENEMIES   OF   BEES. 

Among  the  enemies  of  bees,  there  are  included 
rats,  mice,  birds,  toads,  and  insects. 

ARE    THEY    ALL    GUILTY? 

But  some  of  these  are  probably  clear  of  any  actual 
mischief.  I  strongly  suspect  that  tlje  spirit  of  destruc- 
tiveness  with  many  people  is  altogether  too  active. 
There  are  some  farmers,  with  this  principle  predomi- 
nant, so  short-sighted,  that  if  it  was  in  their  power 
they  would  destroy  a  whole  class  of  birds,  because 
some  of  them  had  picked  a  few  cherries,  or  dug  out  a 
few  hills  of  corn,  when,  at  the  same  time,  they  are 
indebted  to  their  activity  in  devouring  worms,  insects, 
&c.,  that  would  otherwise  have  destroyed  entire  crops  1 
It  will  be  well,  therefore,  before  condemnation,  to  see 
if  on  the  whole  we  are  to  be  gainers  or  losers  by  an  in- 
discriminate slaughter,  without  judge  or  jury. 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  287 

RATS    AND    MICE. 

Eats  and  mice  are  never  troublesome,  except  in 
cold  weather.  The  entrances  of  all  hives  standing  out 
are  too  small  to  admit  a  rat.  It  is  only  when  Id  the 
house  that' much  damage  need  be  apprehended.  They 
appear  to  be  fond  of  honey,  and  when  it  is  accessible 
will  eat  several  pounds  in  a  short  time. 

Mice  will  often  enter  the  hive  when  standing  on 
the  bench,  and  make  extensive  depredations.  Some- 
times, after  eating  a  space  in  the  combs,  they  will 
there  make  their  nest.  The  animal  heat  created  by 
the  bees  will  make  a  snug,  warm  place  for  winter 
quarters.  There  are  two  kinds:  one  the  common 
class,  belonging  to  the  house ;  the  other  called  "  deer- 
mouse" —  the  under  side  perfectly  white,  the  back 
much  lighter  than  the  other  kind.  The  latter  seems 
to  be  particularly  fond  of  the  bees,  while  the  first  ap- 
pears to  relish  the  honey.  Whether  they  take  bees 
that  are  alive,  or  only  such  as  are  already  dead,  I 
cannot  say.  Only  a  part  of  the  bee  is  eaten ;  and  if 
we  take  the  fragments  left  to  judge  of  the  number 
consumed,  the  circumstance  will  go  some  ways  to  prove 
the  sacrifice  of  quite  a  number.  Whether  bees  or 
honey  is  wasted,  a  little  care  to  prevent  their  depre- 
dations is  well  worthy  of  bestowal.  As  rats  and  mice 
have  so  long  since  been  condemned  and  sentenced  for 
being  a  universal  plague,  and  without  a  redeeming 
trait,  I  will  say  nothing  in  their  favor,  and  am  per- 
fectly willing  they  shall  be  hanged  till  dead. 


288  SUMMER. 

ARE    ALL    THE    BIRDS    G  i -LTY  1 

But  for  some  of  the  birds  accused  of  preying  upon 
bees,  I  would  say  a  word. 

KING-BIRD ONE    WORD    IN    HIS    FAVOR. 

The  king-bird  stands  at  the  head  of  the  list  of 
depredators!  With  a  fair  trial  he  will  be  found  guilty, 
though  not  so  heinously  criminal  as  many  suppose.  I 
think  we  shall  find  him  guilty  of  taking  only  the  drones. 
In  the  afternoon  of  a  fair  day  he  may  be  seen  perched 
upon  some  dry  branch  of  a  shrub  or  tree  near  the 
apiary,  watching  for  his  victims,  occasionally  darting 
to  seize  them.  I  have  shot  him  down  and  examined 
his  crop,  after  seeing  him  devour  a  goodly  number ; 
but  in  every  instance  the  bees  were  so  crushed  to 
pieces,  that  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  workers 
from  drones.  We  are  told  of  great  numbers  of  work- 
ers being  counted.  It  may  be  so,  or  it  may  be  thus 
represented  by  a  spice  of  prejudice.  I  have  found 
the  brutal  gratification  of  taking  life  so  strong  with 
some,  that  a  natural  antipathy  is  allowed  to  take  the 
place  of  justice,  and  a  proper  defence  is  not  allowed 
in  such  cases  where  the  suffering  party  has  not  the 
power  to  enforce  it.  If  he  was  satisfied  with  workers 
as  well  as  drones,  why  does  he  not  visit  the  apiary 
long  before  noon,  and  fill  his  crop  with  them?  But 
instead,  he  waits  till  afternoon  for  the  drones ;  and  if 
none  are  flying,  he  watches  quietly  till  one  appears, 
although  workers  may  be  out  by  hundreds  continu- 
ally. If  the  question  is  asked,  how  they  tell  the  dif- 
ference in  the  two  kinds  of  bees,  I  might  suggest  that 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  289 

instinct  has  taught  most  animals  the  proper  kind  of 
food,  and  might  direct  the  birds  in  this  case.  If  it 
was  not  sufficient,  a  little  experience  in  catching  bees 
provided  with  stings,  might  impart  the  important  dif- 
ference, in  one  or  two  lessons.  I  once  had  a  chicken 
that  knew  the  difference  by  some  means,  and  would 
stand  by  the  hive  and  devour  every  drone,  the  mo- 
ment it  touched  the  board,  while  the  workers  would 
pass  by  him  in  scores  untouched ! 

Now,  whether  this  taking  the  drones  is  a  disad- 
vantage or  otherwise,  would  depend  entirely  upon 
circumstances.  K  honey  was  a  little  scarce,  the  less 
we  had  of  them  the  better ;  it  would  also  save  the 
bees  some  trouble  in  dispatching  them.  It  is  probably 
a  matter  of  so  little  moment  to  our  bees,  that  it  will 
not  pay  for  powder  to  shoot  them. 

Martins,  and  a  kind  of  swallows,  are  said  to  be 
guilty  of  taking  bees  on  some  occasions ;  but  as  they 
pursue  them  on  the  wing  (if  they  do),  the  same  re- 
marks will  apply  as  to  the  king-bird. 

CAT-BIRD    ACQUITTED. 

The  cat-bird  also  comes  in  for  a  share  of  censure. 
It  is  said  "they  will  get  right  down  by  the  hive,  and 
pick  up  bees  by  the  hundred."  Yet,  right  in  the  face 
of  this  charge,  I  am  disposed  to  acquit  him.  "With 
the  closest  observation,  I  find  him  about  the  hive, 
picking  up  only  young  and  immature  bees,  such  as  are 
removed  from  the  combs  and  thrown  out.  They  may 
be  seen  as  soon  as  the  first  rays  of  light  make  objects 
visible  about  the  apiary,  looking  for  their  morning 


290  SUMMER. 

supply,  as  well  as  frequent  visits  during  the  day. 
Should  an  unlucky  worm  be  in  sight  just  then, 
while  looking  up  a  place  for  spinning  a  cocoon,  or  a 
moth  reposing  on  some  corner  of  the  hive,  their  fate 
is  at  once  decided.  Before  destroying  this  bird,  it 
would  be  well  to  judge  by  actual  observation  as  to 
facts;  otherwise  we  might  " destroy  a  friend  instead 
of  a  foe." 

TOAD    GOT    CLEAR. 

A  toad  is  discovered  near  the  hives,  and  forthwith 
he  is  executed  as  a  bee-eater.  "  He  ought  to  be  killed 
for  his  looks,  if  nothing  else !"  He  is  thus  often  sacri- 
ficed really  on  account  of  his  appearance,  whUe  pre- 
tending he  is  a  villain.  It  is  true  his  "  feathers"  will 
not  vie  in  brilliancy  with  the  plumage  of  the  hum- 
ming-bird, and  do  not  gratify  ideality — therefore  he 
is  dispatched.  The  next  week  the  complaint  is  made 
that  the  little  bugs,  that  he  might  have  destroyed, 
"  have  eaten  up  all  the  little  cucumbers  and  cabbages." 
His  food  is  probably  small  insects.  Whoever  has 
seen  him  swallow  bees,  must  have  watched  closer  than 
I  ever  did. 

WASPS  AND  HORNETS  NOT  FAVORED. 

As  for  the  frequent  visits  of  the  black-wasp  in  the 
sunny  days  of  spring,  but  little  can  be  said  in  their 
favor — they  seem  to  have  no  other  object  but  to  tease 
and  irritate  the  bees.  I  never  could  discover  that  they 
entered  the  hive  for  the  purpose  of  plunder.  They 
have  frequent  battles  with  the  bees,  but  I  never  saw 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  291 

any  bees  devoured  or  carried  off,  nor  even  killed. 
After  the  first  of  June  they  are  seldom  troublesome. 
The  yellow  wasp  or  hornet,  that  is  around  in  autumn, 
is  of  but  little  account;  their  object  is  honey,  which 
they  take  when  they  can  get  it,  but  are  not  apt  to  enter 
the  hive  among  the  bees. 

ANTS A  WORD  IN    THEIR  FAVOR. 

Ants  come  in  for  a  share  of  condemnation.  This 
little  industrious  insect  shall  have  my  endeavors  for  a 
fair  hearing ;  I  think  I  can  understand  why  they  are 
so  frequently  accused  of  robbing  bees.  Many  bee- 
keepers are  wholly  ignorant,  most  of  the  time,  of  the 
real  condition  of  their  stocks.  Many  causes  independ- 
ent of  ants,  induce  a  reduction  of  population.  Suppose 
the  bees  are  so  reduced  as  to  leave  the  combs  unpro- 
tected, and  the  ants  enter  and  appropriate  some  of  the 
honey  to  themselves,  and  should  the  owner  come  along 
just  then  and  see  them  engaged,  "  Ha !  you  are  the 
rascals  that  have  destroyed  my  bees,"  without  a  thought 
of  looking  for  causes,  beyond  present  appearances. 
They  are  often  unjustly  accused  by  the  farmer  of  in- 
juring the  growth  of  his  little  trees,  by  causing  the 
tender  leaves  to  curl  and  wither.  Inquiries  are  often 
made  in  some  of  the  agricultural  papers  for  means  to 
destroy  them,  merely  because  they  are  found  on  them; 
when  the  real  cause  of  the  mischief  is  with  the  plant 
louse,  (aphis)  that  is  upon  the  leaves  or  stalk  in  hun- 
dreds, robbing  them  of  their  important  juices,  and  se- 
creting a  fluid  greatly  prized  by  the  ants.  By  destroy- 
ing the  lice,  you  remove  all  the  attraction  of  the  ants. 


292  SUMMER. 

The  peculiar  habits  of  the  small  black  ants,  probably 
give  rise  to  a  suspicion  of  mischief  in  this  way.  They 
live  in  communities  of  thousands — their  nests  are  usu- 
ally in  old  walls,  in  old  timber,  under  stones,  and  in 
the  earth.  From  their  nests  a  string  may  be  traced 
sometimes  for  rods,  going  after,  and  returning  laden 
with  food.  During  a  spell  of  wet  weather,  such  as 
would  make  the  earth  and  many  other  places  too  damp 
and  cold  for  a  nest,  they  look  out  for  better  quarters. 
The  top  or  chamber  of  our  bee-hives  affords  shelter 
from  rain.  The  animal  heat  from  the  bees  renders  it 
perfectly  comfortable.  How  then  can  we  blame  them 
for  choosing  such  a  location,  so  completely  answering 
all  their  wants?  As  long  as  the  bees  are  not  disturbed, 
we  can  put  up  with  it  better.  But  the  careless  ob- 
server having  discovered  their  train  to  and  fro  from 
their  nest  on  the  hive,  exclaims:  "  Why,  I  have  seen 
them  going  in  a  continual  stream  to  the  hive  after 
honey ;"  when  a  little  scrutiny  into  the  matter  would 
show  that  only  the  nest  was  on  the  top  of  the  hive, 
and  they  were  going  somewhere  else  for  food  ;  not  one 
to  be  seen  entering  the  hive  among  the  bees  for  honey, 
(at  least  I  never  could  detect  it.) 

When  honey  is  unprotected  by  bees,  or  boxes  of  it 
placed  where  they  can  have  access,  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence, they  will  carry  off  some ;  but  it  is  easily 
secured. 

SPIDER    CONDEMNED. 

Spiders  are  a  source  of  considerable  annoyance  to 
the  apiarian,  as  well  as  to  the  bees ;  not  so  much  on 


ENEMIES   OF  BEES.  293 

account  of  the  number  of  bees  consumed,  as  their  habit 
of  spinning  a  web  about  the  hive,  that  will  occasion- 
ally take  a  moth,  and  will  probably  entangle  fifty  bees 
the  whilst.  They  are  either  in  fear  of  the  bees,  or  they 
are  not  relished  as  food  ;  particularly,  as  a  bee  caught 
in  the  morning  is  frequently  untouched  during  the 
day.  This  web  is  often  exactly  before  the  entrance, 
entangling  the  bees  as  they  go  out  and  return  ;  irri- 
tating and  hindering  them  considerably.  They  often 
escape  after  repeated  struggles.  I  have  removed  a 
web  from  the  same  place  every  morning,  for  a  week, 
that  was  renewed  at  night  with  astonishing  persever- 
ance !  I  can  generally  look  out  his  hiding-place,  which 
is  in  some  corner  near  by,  and  dispatch  him.  His  re- 
deeming qualities  are  few,  and  are  more  than  balanced 
by  the  evil,  as  far  as  I  have  discovered.  Their  saga- 
city in  some  instances  will  find  a  place  of  concealment 
not  easily  discovered.  At  the  approach  of  cold  wea- 
ther, the  box  or  chamber  of  the  hive  being  a  little 
warmer  than  other  places,  will  attract  a  great  many 
there  to  deposit  their  eggs.  Little  piles  of  webbing 
or  silk  may  be  seen  attached  to  the  top  of  the  hive, 
or  sides  of  boxes.  These  contain  eggs  for  the 
next  year's  brood.  This  is  the  time  to  destroy  them 
and  save  trouble  for  the  future. 

If  we  combine  into  one  phalanx  all  the  depredators 
yet  named,  and  compare  their  ability  for  mischief  with 
the  wax  moth,  we  shall  find  their  powers  of  destruc- 
tion but  a  small  item  !  Of  the  moth  itself  we  would 
have  nothing  to  fear  were  it  not  for  her  progeny,  that 


294  SUMMER. 

consist  of  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  vile  worms,  whose 
food  is  principall}'"  wax  or  comb. 

As  the  instinct  of  the  flesh-flj  directs  her  to  a 
putrid  carcass  to  deposit  her  eggs,  that  her  offspring 
may  have  their  proper  food,  so  the  moth  seeks  the 
hive  containing  combs,  and  where  its  natural  food  is 
at  hand  to  furnish  a  supply.  During  the  day  a  rusty 
brown  miller,  with  its  wings  wrapped  close  around  the 
body,  may  be  often  seen  lying  perfectly  motionless  on 
the  side  of  the  hive  on  one  corner,  or  the  under  edge 
of  the  top,  where  it  projects  over — they  are  more  fre- 
quent at  the  corners  than  anywhere  else,  one-third 
of  their  length  projecting  beyond  it ;  appearing  much 
like  a  sliver  on  the  edge  of  a  board  that  is  somewhat 
weather-beaten.  Their  color  so  closely  resembles  old 
wood,  that  I  have  no  doubt  their  enemies  are  often 
deceived,  and  let  them  escape  with  their  lives.  As 
soon  as  daylight  shuts  out  the  view,  and  no  danger 
of  their  movements  being  discovered  by  their  enemies, 
they  throw  off  their  inactivity,  and  commence  search- 
ing for  a  place  to  deposit  their  eggs,  and  woe  to  the 
stock  that  has  not  bees  sufficient  to  drive  them  from 
the  comb.  Although  their  larv£e  has  a  skin  that  the 
bee  cannot  pierce  with  its  sting,  in  most  cases,  it  is 
not  so  with  the  moth,  and  of  this  fact  they  seem  to 
be  aware,  for  whenever  a  bee  approaches  they  dart 
away  with  speed  ten  times  greater  than  that  of  any 
bee,  disposed  to  follow!  They  enter  the  hive  and 
dodge  out  in  a  moment,  having  either  encountered  a 
bee,  or  fear  they  may  do  so.     Now  it  needs  no  argu- 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  295 

ment  to  prove  that  when  all  our  stocks  are  well  pro- 
tected, that  it  must  be  a  poor  chance  to  deposit  eggs, 
on  the  combs  of  such  hives,  where  their  instinct  has 
taught  them  is  the  proper  place.  But  thej  must  leave 
them  somewhere.  When  driven  from  all  the  combs 
within,  the  next  best  place  is  the  cracks  and  flaws 
about  the  hive,  that  are  lined  with  propolis  ;  and  the 
dust  and  chips  that  fall  on  the  floor-board  of  a  young 
swarm  not  full  will  be  used.  This  last  material  is 
mostly  wax,  and  answers  very  well  instead  of  comb. 
The  eggs  will  here  hatch  and  the  worms  sometimes 
ascend  to  the  combs ;  hence  the  necessity  of  keeping 
the  bottom  brushed  off  clean.  It  wOl  prevent  those 
that  are  on  the  bottom  from  going  up  ;  also  the  bees 
from  taking  up  any  eggs,  if  this  should  happen  to  be 
the  method.  I  can  conceive  of  no  other  way  by  which 
they  get  among  the  combs  of  a  populous  stock  ;  where 
they  are  often  detected,  having  been  deposited  by 
some  means.  A  worm  lodged  in  the  comb,  makes  his 
way  to  the  centre,  and  then  eats  a  passage  as  he  pro- 
ceeds, lining  it  with  a  shroud  of  silk,  gradually  enlarg- 
ing it,  as  he  increases  in  size.  (When  combs  are  filled 
with  honey,  they  work  on  the  surface,  eating  only  the 
sealing.)  In  very  weak  families  this  silken  passage- 
way is  left  untouched, — but  removed  by  all  the 
stronger  ones.  I  have  found  it  asserted  that  "  the 
worms  would  be  all  immediately  destroyed  by  the 
bees,  were  it  not  for  a  kind  of  dread  in  touching  them 
until  compelled  to  by  necessity."  As  the  facts  which 
led  to  this  conclusion  are  not  given,  and  I  can  find 
none  confirming  it,  perhaps  I  shall  be  excused  if  I 


296  SUMMER. 

have  no  faith.  On  the  contrary,  I  find  to  all  appear- 
ance an  instinctive  antipathy  to  all  such  intruders, 
and  are  removed  immediately  when  possessing  the 
power. 

When  a  worm  is  in  a  comb  filled  with  brood,  its 
passage  being  in  the  centre,  it  is  not  at  first  discovered. 
The  bees,  to  get  it  out,  must  bite  away  half  the  thick- 
ness, removing  the  brood  in  one  or  two  rows  of  cells, 
sometimes  for  several  inches.  This  will  account  for 
so  many  immature  bees  found  on  the  bottom-board  at 
morning,  in  the  spring;  as  well  as  in  stocks  and 
swarms  but  partially  protected  after  the  swarming 
season. 

INDICATIONS    OF    THEIR    PRESENCE. 

Sometimes  a  half  dozen  young  bees,  nearly  ma- 
ture, will  be  removed  alive,  all  webbed  together, 
fastened  by  legs,  wings,  &c.  All  their  efforts  for 
breaking  loose  prove  unavailing.  Also  others  that  are 
separate  may  be  seen  running  about  with  their  wings 
mutilated,  or  part  of  their  legs  eaten  off,  or  tied  to- 
gether 1  These  generally  aie  the  first  symptoms  of 
worms  in  our  stock  at  this  season.  Although  unfavor- 
able, it  might  be  worse.  It  shows  that  the  bees  are 
not  discouraged  yet, — that  when  finding  the  worms 
present,  have  sufficient  energy  left  to  make  an  effort  to 
rid  themselves  of  the  nuisance. 

MANAGEMENT. 

Should  the  apiarian  now   give  them  a  little  assist- 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  297 

ance  for  a  few  days,  they  will  soon  be  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  The  hive  should  be  frequently  raised,  and 
everything  brushed  out  clean.  K  it  is  a  new  swarm 
half  fall,  that  presents  these  indications,  it  should  be 
turned  over  a  few  times,  perhaps  once  a  week,  till  the 
worms  are  mastered  ;  and  the  corners  below  the  bees 
examined  for  the  cocoons,  that  will  very  often  be  found 
there,  and  are  easily  detached  and  destroyed.  In  turn- 
ing over  a  hive  part  full,  in  warm  weather,  you  should 
first  observe  the  position  of  the  combs,  and  let  the 
edges  rest  against  the  side  of  the  hive,  otherwise  they 
might  bend  over  and  break  loose  when  the  hive  was 
again  set  up,  (by  simply  making  a  pencil  mark  across 
the  top  in  the  direction  of  the  combs,  you  may  know 
any  time  after  first  looking). 

CARE    IN    TURNING    OVER    HIVES. 

When  a  hive  is  full  of  combs,  the  edges  are  usually 
attached  sufficient  to  steady  them,  and  it  is  of  less 
consequence  which  way  it  is  turned,  yet  in  very  warm, 
weather  the  honey  will  run  out  of  drone  cells  if  per- 
pendicular. 

In  very  small  swarms,  hundreds  of  the  young  brood 
may  be  frequently  seen  with  their  heads  out  of  the 
cells,  endeavoring  to  escape,  but  are  firmly  held  inside 
by  these  webs.  I  have  known  a  few  instances  in 
such  circumstances,  where  it  appeared  as  if  the  bees 
had  cut  off  the  whole  sheet  of  comb  and  let  it  drop 
thereby  ridding  themselves  of  all  farther  trouble  (or 
would  be  rid  of  it,  if  their  owner  only  did  his  part  by 
taking  out  what  fell  down.) 
13* 


298  SUMMER. 

OTHER    SYMPTOMS    OF    WORMS. 

But  when  the  bees  make  no  effort  to  dislodge  the 
enemy  or  his  works  in  old  stocks,  the  case  is  some- 
what desperate  !  Instead  of  the  foregoing  symptoms? 
we  must  look  for  something  entirely  different.  But 
few  young  bees  will  be  found.  In  their  place  we  may 
find  the  faeces  of  the  worms  dropped  on  the  board. 
During  winter  and  spring  the  bees,  in  biting  off  the 
covering  of  cells  to  get  at  the  honey,  drop  chips  closely 
resembling  it.  To  detect  the  difference  and  distinguish 
one  from  the  other  requires  a  little  close  inspection. 
The  color  of  the  faeces  varies  with  tke  comb  on  which 
they  feed,  from  white  to  brown  and  black.  The  size 
of  these  grains  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  worm — 
from  a  mere  speck  to  nearly  as  large  as  a  pin-head  : 
shape  cylindrical,  with  obtuse  ends :  length  about 
twice  its  diameter.  By  the  quantity  we  can  judge  of 
the  number.  If  the  hive  is  full  of  combs  the  lower 
ends  may  appear  perfect,  while  the  middle  or  upper 
part  is  sometimes  a  mat  of  webs ! 

Whenever  our  stocks  have  become  reduced  from 
over-swarming  or  other  cause,  this  is  the  next  effect 
in  succession  that  we  must  expect.  Here  is  another 
important  reason  that  we  know  the  actual  condition 
of  our  bees  at  all  times ;  we  can  then  detect  the 
worms  very  soon  after  they  commence.  In  some  in- 
stances we  might  save  the  stock  by  breaking  out  most 
of  the  combs,  leaving  just  enough  to  be  covered  by 
the  bees.  When  success  attends  this  operation,  it  must 
be  done  before  the  worms  have  progressed  to  a  tho- 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  299 

rougli  lodgment.  When  the  stock  is  weak,  and  ap- 
pearances indicate  the  presence  of  many,  it  is  gene- 
rally the  safest,  and  will  be  the  least  trouble  in  the 
end,  to  drive  out  the  bees  at  once  and  secure  the  honey 
and  wax.  The  bees  when  put  into  a  new  hive  may 
do  a  little,  but  if  they  should  do  nothing,  it  would  be 
no  worse.  It  cannot  be  as  bad  any  way  as  to  have 
left  them  in  the  old  hive  till  the  worms  had  destroyed 
all  and  matured  a  thousand  or  two  moths  in  addition 
to  those  otherwise  produced,  thereby  multiplying  the 
chances  of  damage  to  other  stocks  a  thousand -fold.  It 
is  probably  remembered  that  I  said  when  bees  are 
removed  from  a  hive  in  warm  weather,  if  it  was  not 
infested  with  worms  at  the  time,  it  soon  would  be, 
unless  smoked  with  sulphur. 

WHEN  THEY  GROW  LARGER  THAN  USUAL. 

In  a  hive  thus  left  without  bees  to  interfere,  the 
worms  will  increase  to  one-half  or  two-thirds  larger 
than  where  their  right  to  the  combs  is  disputed.  In 
one  case  they  often  have  their  growth,  and  actually 
wind  up  in  their  cocoon  when  less  than  an  inch  in 
length :  in  the  other  they  will  quietly  fatten  till  they 
are  an  inch  and  a  half  long  and  as  large  as  a  pipe-stem. 

TIME    OF    GROWTH. 

When  first  hatched  from  the  egg,  it  requires  very 
close  inspection  to  see  them  with  the  naked  eye.  The 
rapidity  of  growth  depends  on  the  temperature  in 
which  they  are,  as  much  or  more  than  their  good 
living.    A  few  days  in  hot  weather  might  develop  the 


300  SUMMER. 

full-grown  worm,  while  in  a  lower  temperature  it 
would  require  weeks  and  even  months  in  some  cases, 
perhaps  from  fall  till  spring 

TIME    OF    TRANSFORMATION. 

The  worm,  after  spinning  its  cocoon,  soon  changes 
to  a  chrysalis,  and  remains  inactive  for  several  days, 
when  it  makes  an  opening  in  one  end  and  crawls  out. 
The  time  taken  for  this  transformation  is  also  governed 
by  the  temperature,  although  I  think  but  few  ever 
pass  the  winter  in  this  state.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  find 
a  moth  before  the  end  of  May,  and  not  many  till  the 
middle  of  June ;  but  after  this  time  they  are  more 
numerous  till  the  end  of  the  season. 

FREEZING    DESTROYS    WORMS,    COCOON    AND    MOTH. 

It  is  pretty  well  demonstrated  that  the  moth,  its 
eggs,  larvae  and  chrysalis  cannot  pass  the  winter  with- 
out warmth  of  some  kind  to  prevent  their  freezing  to 
death.  The  following  facts  indicate  this.  I  have  taken 
all  the  bees  out  of  a  hive  in  the  fall,  and  without  dis- 
turbing the  comb  or  honey,  put  it  in  a  cold  chamber 
where  it  could  freeze  thoroughly.  In  the  following 
March  bees  were  again  introduced,  and  when  not  on  a 
bench  with  some  other  stock  that  had  worms,  not  a 
single  instance  in  forty  cases  has  ever  produced  a 
worm  before  the  middle  of  June,  or  until  the  eggs  of 
some  moth  matured  in  another  hive  has  had  time  to 
hatch.  I  have  sometimes,  instead  of  putting  bees  in 
these  in  March,  kept  them  till  June  for  swarms,  per- 
fectly free  from  any  appearance  of  worms ! 


ENEMIES  OF  BEES.  301 

HOW   THEY    PASS    THE    WINTER. 

But  it  is  altogether  a  different  thing  with  our  hives 
in  which  bees  are  wintered ;  they  are  seldom  or  never 
entirely  exempt !  Perhaps  it  is  impossible  to  winter 
bees  without  preserving  some  eggs  of  the  moth  or  a 
few  worms  at  the  same  time.  The  perfect  moth  per- 
haps never  survives  the  winter ;  the  only  place  that 
the  chrysalis  would  be  safe,  I  think  must  be  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  bees — and  a  good  stock  will  never 
allow  it  there — but  eggs,  it  would  appear,  are  suffered 
to  remain.  In  the  fall,  at  the  approach  of  cold  weather, 
the  bees  are  apt  to  leave  the  ends  of  the  combs  ex- 
posed ;  the  moth  can  now  enter  and  deposit  her  eggs 
directly  upon  them  ;  these,  together  with  what  are  car- 
ried in  by  means  before  suggested,  are  enough  to  pre- 
vent losing  the  breed.  The  warmth  generated  by  the 
bees  will  keep  these  eggs  from  freezing  and  preserve 
their  vitality.  When  warm  weather  approaches  in 
the  spring,  those  nearest  the  bees  are  probably  hatched 
first,  and  commence  depredations  and  are  removed  by 
the  bees.  As  the  bees  increase  and  occupy  more 
comb,  more  are  warmed  up  and  hatched.  In  this  way, 
even  a  small  family  of  bees  will  hatch,  and  get  rid  of 
all  the  eggs  that  happen  to  be  in  their  combs,  and  not 
be  destroyed.  This  is  the  time  that  the  apiarian  may 
be  of  service  in  destroying  the  worms,  as  the  bees  get 
them  on  the  floor. 

STOCKS  MORE  LIABLE  TO  BE    DESTROYED   LAST  OF  SUMMER. 

But  in  July  and  August  it  is  different  in  this  re- 
spect ;  a  single  moth  may  enter  the  hive  when  exposed, 


302  SUMMER. 

and  deposit  her  whole  burden  of  several  hundred  eggs, 
as  in  the  other  case,  but  the  heat  from  the  bees  is  now 
unnecessary  to  hatch  them.  The  weather  at  this  sea- 
son will  make  any  part  of  the  hive  warm  enough  to 
set  her  whole  brood  at  work  at  once,  and  in  three  weeks 
all  may  be  destroyed  I  This,  and  the  fact  that  more 
moths  exist  now  than  before,  may  account  for  the 
greater  number  of  stocks  being  destroyed  at  this  sea- 
son. Yet  it  is  considered  extremely  bad  management 
to  allow  honey  or  combs  to  be  devoured  by  this  dis- 
gusting creature.  A  little  care  to  know  the  condition 
of  the  stocks  is  necessary  to  prevent  their  getting  the 
start.  These  duties  should  be  fully  considered  before 
we  take  the  responsibility  of  the  care  of  bees. 

WHEN  BEES  ARE  SAFE. 

The  only  condition  when  we  can  rest  and  feel  safe  is 
when  we  know  all  our  stocks  are  full  of  bees.  Even  the 
"moth-proof"  hive  containing  combs  will  be  scented 
out  by  the  moth,  when  there  are  no  bees  to  guard  it. 
An  argument  to  show  that  a  moth  can  enter  where  a 
bee  can  go  is  unnecessary,  and  a  little  observation,  I 
think,  will  prove  that  her  eggs  sometimes  go  where 
she  is  not  allowed. 

MEANS  TO  DESTROY  THEM. 

At  this  season,  (July  and  August),  it  is  a  good  plan 
to  put  a  few  pieces  of  old  dry  combs  near  the  hives,  in 
a  box,  or  other  place,  as  a  decoy,  where  the  moth  may 
have  access.  She  will  deposit  a  great  many  of  her  eggs 
here,  instead  of  the  hive,  and  can  be  easily  destroyed. 


ENEMIES   OF   BEES.  803 

As  we  cannot  always  have  our  bees  in  a  situation  to 
feel  safe,  it  will  be  well  to  adopt  some  of  the  means 
recommended  to  diminish  the  number  of  moths.  First 
destroy  all  the  worms  that  can  be  found  at  any  time, 
particularly  in  spring ;  second,  all  cocoons  that  can  be 
got  at.  A  great  many  worms  can  be  enticed  to  web 
up,  under  a  trap  of  elder,  &c.,  when  it  is  an  easy  mat- 
ter to  dispatch  them.  Thirdly,  destroy  all  the  moths 
possible  that  can  be  seen  about  the  hive.  They  are 
very  much  like  the  flea,  "  when  you  put  your  finger 
on  him  he  is  not  there;"  a  careful  move  is  necessary 
to  crush  him  at  once,  otherwise  he  darts  away  at  the 
least  disturbance.  Probably  the  most  expeditious 
mode  is  to  make  them  drunk, 

MAKING  THEM  DRUNK,  AND  THEIR  EXECUTION  BY  CHICKENS. 

Mix  with  water  just  enough  molasses  and  vinegar 
to  make  it  palatable ;  this  is  to  be  put  in  white  saucers 
or  other  dishes,  and  set  among  the  hives  at  night.  Like 
nobler  beings,  if  not  wiser,  when  once  they  have  tasted 
the  fatal  beverage,  they  seem  to  lose  all  power  to  leave 
the  fascinating  cup;  but  give  way  to  appetite  and  ex- 
citement till  a  fatal  step  plunges  them  into  destruction ! 
The  next  morning  finds  them  yet  wallowing  in  filth, 
weak  and  feeble.  Whether  they  would  recover  from 
the  effects  of  their  carousal  if  lifted  out  of  the  mire, 
and  carefully  nursed  like  other  specimens  of  creation, 
I  never  ascertained.  With  but  little  trouble  a  chicken 
or  two  will  learn  to  be  on  hand,  and  greedily  devour 
every  one.  Hundreds  are  caught  in  this  way,  although 
many  other  kinds  besides  the  bee-moth  will  be  mixed 


304  SUMMER. 

with  them.  This  drink  may  be  used  till  dried  up, 
occasionally  adding  a  little  water;  perhaps  it  is  better 
after  fermenting.  This  recipe  appeared  some  years 
ago  in  some  paper ;  I  have  forgotten  where.  Salt 
has  been  recommended  to  prevent  the  mischief  of  the 
worms,  as  well  as  a  benefit  to  the  bees.  I  used  it 
pretty  extensively  for  several  years,  as  I  thought 
without  much  benefit,  and  got  tired.  I  then  tried 
salting  a  part,  and  let  the  rest  do  entirely  without, 
and  found  no  difierence  in  their  prosperity.  Since 
then,  some  ten  years  ago,  I  abandoned  its  use  alto- 
gether, and  succeed  just  as  well. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

MELTING  DOWN  OF   COMBS. 

THE    CAUSE. 

When  extreme  hot  weather  occurs  immediately 
after  the  bees  have  been  gathering  from  a  plentiful 
harvest  for  two  or  three  weeks,  or  even  during  the 
yield,  the  wax  composing  new  combs  is  very  liable  to 
be  softened,  till  they  break  loose  from  their  fastenings 
and  settle  to  the  bottom. 

EFFECTS. 

Sometimes  the  injury  is  trifling,  only  a  piece  or  two 
slipping  down ;  at  other  times  the  whole  contents  fall 
in  a  confused  and  broken  mass,  the  weight  pressing 
out  the  honey,  and  besmearing  the  bees,  which  in  that 
situation  creep  out,  and  away,  from  the  hive  in  every 
direction. 


MELTING  DOWN  OF  COMBS.  806 

I  once  had  some  new  stocks  ruined,  and  several 
others  injured  by  hot  weather,  in  this  way,  about  the 
first  of  September,  immediately  after  the  flowers  of 
buckwheat.  The  bees,  or  most  of  them,  being  covered 
with  honey,  together  with  what  ran  out  of  the  hive,  at 
once  attracted  bees  from  the  others  to  the  spot,  which 
carried  off  the  entire  contents  in  a  few  hours.  This 
was  an  uncommon  occurrence ;  I  have  known  but  one 
season  in  twenty -five  years  when  it  occurred  after  the 
failure  of  honey  in  the  flowers.  It  usually  happens 
during  a  plenteous  yield,  and  then  other  stocks  are 
not  apt  to  be  troublesome. 

FIRST   INDICATIONS. 

The  first  indications  of  such  an  accident  will  be, 
the  bees  outside  in  clusters,  when  the  hive  is  perhaps 
only  half  or  two-thirds  full,  and  the  honey  running  out 
from  the  bottom,  (this  is  when  part  has  fallen.) 

PREVENTION. 

To  prevent  such  occurrences  as  far  as  possible,  ven- 
tilate by  raising  the  hives  on  little » blocks  at  the 
corners,  oji^  effectually  protect  them,  from  the  sun  ;  and 
if  necessary,  wet  the  outside  with  coM  water.  At  the 
time  of  losing  those  before  mentioned,  I  kept  all  the 
rest  of  the  young  swarms  wet  through  the  middle  of 
the  day,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  T  saved  several  by 
this  means.  I  had  some  trouble  with  such  as  had  only 
a  piece  or  two  come  down,  and  started  just  honey 
enough  to  attract  other  bees.  It  was  not  safe  to  close 
the  hive  to  prevent  the  robbers,  as  this  would  have 
made  the  heat  still  greater,  and  been  certain  destruc- 
tion. 


306  SUMMER. 

The  best  protection  I  found,  was  to  put  around  the 
bottom  of  the  hive  a  few  stems  of  asparagus ;  this  gave 
a  free  circulation  of  air,  and  at  the  same  time,  made  it 
very  difiicult  for  the  robbers  to  approach  the  entrance, 
without  first  creeping  through  this  hedge  and  encoun- 
tering-some  bees  that  belonged  to  the  hive ;  which, 
Avith  this  assistance,  were  enabled  to  defend  themselves 
till  all  wasting  honey  was  taken  up. 

When  the  hive  is  nearly  full,  and  but  one  or  two 
sheets  come  down,  the  lower  edge  will  rest  on  the  floor, 
and  the  other  combs  will  keep  it  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion, until  the  bees  fasten  it  again.  It  is  generally  as 
well  to  leave  such  pieces  as  they  are.  If  the  hive  is 
but  half  full  or  little  more,  and  such  pieces  are  not 
kept  perpendicular  by  the  remaining  combs,  they  are 
apt  to  be  broken  and  crushed  badly,  by  falling  so  far ; 
and  most  of  the  honey  will  be  wasted.  To  save  this,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  remove  it,  (unless  a  dish  can  be 
made  to  catch  it).  Be  careful  not  to  turn  the  hive  on 
its  side,  and  break  the  remaining  combs,  if  any  are  left. 
Such  combs  as  contain  brood  and  but  little  honey, 
might  be  left  for  the  brood  to  mature.  Should  the 
bees  be  able  to  take  the  honey  or  not  waste  much,  it 
might  be  advisable  to  leave  it,  till  the  contents  were 
taken  up  ;  it  would  greatly  assist  in  filling  up.  But 
these  broken  pieces  should  be  removed  before  they 
interfere  with  the  combs  extending  to  the  bottom.  A 
part  of  the  bees  are  generally  destroyed,  but  the  ma- 
jority will  escape ;  even  such  as  are  covered  with 
honey,  (if  they  are  not  crushed)  will  clean  it  off  and 
soon  be  in  working  order,  when  others  do  not  inter- 


FALL   MANAGEMENT.  307 

fere  officiously,  assisting  to  remove  it.  A  good  yield 
of  honey  is  the  best  protection  against  this  disposition 
to  pillage.  After  the  first  year  combs  become  thicker 
and  are  not  so  liable  to  give  way. 


CHAPTEE    XXI. 

FALL    MANAGEMENT. 

FIRST    CARE. 

"When  the  flowers  fail  at  the  end  of  the  season,  the 
first  thing  necessary  is  to  ascertain  which  are  the  weak- 
est stocks,  and  all  that  cannot  defend  themselves  should 
either  be  removed  or  reinforced.  The  strength  of  all 
stocks  is  pretty  thoroughly  tested  within  a  few  days 
after  a  failure  of  honey.  Should  any  be  found  with 
too  few  bees  for  defence,  they  are  quite  sure  to  be 
plundered.  Hence  the  necessity  of  action  in  season, 
that  we  may  secure  the  contents  in  advance  of  the 
robbers. 

STRONG   STOCKS    DISPOSED    TO    PLUNDER. 

Strong  stocks,  that  during  a  yield  have  occupied 
every  cell  with  brood  and  honey,  when  it  fails,  will 
soon  have  empty  cells  left  by  the  young  bees,  hatch- 
ing. These  empty  cells,  without  honey  to  fill  them, 
appear  to  be  a  source  of  much  uneasiness.  Although 
such  hive  and  caps  may  be  well  stored,  I  have  ever 
found  them  to  be  the  worst  in  the  apiary,  much  more 
disposed  to  plunder,  than  weaker  ones  with  half  the 
honey.  As  weak  stocks  cannot  be  bettered  now,  it  is 
best  to  remove  them  at  once,  and  put  the  temptation 


308  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

out  of  the  way.  Carelessness  is  but  a  sorry  excuse,  for 
letting  bees  establish  this  habit  of  dishonesty.  Should 
any  stocks  be  weak  from  disease,  the  consequences 
would  be  even  more  disastrous  than  bad  habits ;  the 
reasons  why  such  impure  honey  should  not  go  into 
thrifty  stocks,  have  already  been  given.  If  we  want 
the  least  possible  trouble  with  our  bees,  none  but  the 
best  should  be  selected  for  winter.  But  what  consti- 
tutes a  good  stock,  seems  to  be  but  partially  under- 
stood; if  we  judge  from  the  number  lost  annually,  too 
many  are  careless,  or  ignorant  in  the  selection  ;  sup- 
posing, perhaps,  because  a  stock  has  been  good  one 
winter  and  swarmed  well,  it  must  of  course  be  right ; 
the  mistake  is  often  fatal. 

BEES    CHANGEABLE. 

Bees  are  so  changeable,  especially  in  the  summer 
and  swarming  season,  that  we  can  seldom  be  certain 
what  they  are,  by  what  they  have  been.  It  is  safest, 
therefore,  to  knoiv  what  they  are  now. 

REQUISITES    FOR    GOOD    STOCKS. 

The  proper  requisites  for  a  good  stock  are  a  full 
hive  of  proper  shape  and  size,  (viz.,  2,000  inches,)  well 
stored  with  honey ;  a  large  family  of  bees,  and  in  a 
healthy  condition,  which  must  be  ascertained  by  actual 
inspection.  The  age  is  not  important  till  over  eight 
years  old.  Stocks  possessing  these  points,  can  be  win- 
tered with  but  little  trouble.  But  it  cannot  be  expect- 
ed that  all  will  be  in  this  condition.  Many  bee-keep- 
ers will  wish  to  increase  their  stocks  and  keep  all  that 


FALL   MANAGEMENT.  309 

is  practicable,  by  supplying  any  deficiency.  I  shall 
endeavor  to  make  it  appear  profitable  to  do  so,  until 
bees  enough  are  kept  in  the  country,  to  get  all  the 
honey  that  is  now  wasted. 

All  can  understand  why  it  is  a  loss  to  have  bees  eat 
honey  part  of  the  winter  and  then  die — that  the  honey 
consumed  might  have  been  saved — that  it  makes  no 
great  difference  to  the  bees  whether  they  are  killed  in 
the  fall  or  sacrificed  in  the  winter,  I  am  not  an  ad- 
vocate for  fire  and  brimstone  as  the  reward  of  all  un- 
fortunate stocks,  and  shall  recommend  it  only  when 
its  use  will  make  it  no  worse.  We  will  see  how  far 
it  can  be  dispensed  with. 

GREAT    DISADVANTAGE    OF    KILLING    THE    BEES. 

Those  rustic  bee-keepers  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
making  their  hives  very  large,  such  as  will  hold  from 
100  to  140  lbs.,  and  killing  the  bees  in  the  fall,  and 
sending  the  honey  to  market,  will  probably  continue 
the  use  of  sulphur,  unless  we  can  convince  them  of 
the  greater  advantage  of  making  the  hive  smaller 
and  have  fifty  or  eighty  lbs.  of  this  honey  in  boxes 
which  will  sell  for  more  than  can  be  realized  for  their 
larger  hive  full,  and  at  the  same  time,  save  their  bees 
for  a  stock-hive,  making  a  better  return  in  the  long 
run,  than  one  hundred  dollars  at  interest.  When 
hives  are  made  the  proper  size,  the  honey  will  not  be 
an  object  sufficient  to  pay  for  destroying  the  bees. 

SECTION    OF    COUNTRY    MAY    MAKE    A    DIFFERENCE    IN    WHAT 
POOR    STOCKS    NEED. 

The  kind  of  requisite  to  be  supplied  to  our  deficient 


310  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

Stocks,  will  probably  depend  on  the  section  of  country. 
Where  the  principal  source  is  clover  and  basswood,  it 
will  fail  partially,  at  least,  before  the  end  of  warm 
weather. 

Some  poor  or  medium  stocks  will  continue  to  rear 
brood  too  extensively  for  their  means,  and  exhaust 
their  winter  stores  in  consequence ;  such  will  need  a 
supply  of  honey.  But  where  great  quantities  of 
buckwheat  are  sown,  cold  weather  follows  almost  im- 
mediately after  this  yield,  and  stops  the  breeding. 
Consequently  a  scarcity  of  bees  is  more  frequent  than 
honey.  There  are  exceptions,  of  course ;  I  am  speak- 
ing of  these  cases  generally.  My  experience  has 
mostly  been  in  a  section  where  this  crop  is  raised,  and 
will  say  that  there  is  not  more  than  one  season  in  ten, 
but  that  the  honey  will  be  in  proportion  with  the  bees 
the  first  of  September;  that  is,  if  there  are  bees  enough, 
there  will  be  honey  enough. 

WHEN    BEES    ARE    NEEDED. 

I  have  frequently  had  stocks  with  stores  amply 
sufficient  to  carry  a  good  family  through  the  winter, 
and  yet  too  few  bees  to  last  till  January,  or  even  to 
defend  themselves  from  the  robbers.  Hence  I  am  in 
the  habit  of  supplying  bees  oftener  than  honey. 

I  usually  have  some  few  hives  with  too  little  honey, 
as  well  as  too  few  bees.  Now  it  is  very  plain  if  the 
bees  of  one  or  more  of  this  class  were  united  with  the 
first  successfully,  we  should  have  a  respectable  family. 
I  have  made  additions  to  stocks  in  this  way  that  proved 
first-rate. 


FALL   MANAGEMENT.  311 

CAUTION. 

Whenever  we  make  additions  in  this  manner,  it 
would  be  well  first  to  ascertain  what  was  the  cause  of 
a  scarcity  of  bees  ;  if  it  was  over-swarming  or  loss  of 
queen,  it  is  well  enough — but  if  from  disease,  reject 
them,  unless  the  bees  are  to  be  transferred  the  next 
spring,  and  then,  when  too  many  cells  are  occupied 
with  dead  brood,  as  the  bees  cannot  be  successfully 
wintered. 

PRINCIPAL    DIFFICULTY. 

The  greatest  difiiculty  in  uniting  two  families  or 
more  in  this  manner,  is  where  they  have  to  be  taken 
from  different  places  in  the  same  apiary;  where  the 
locations  have  been  marked.  It  is  sufficiently  shown 
that  bees  return  to  the  old  stand. 

To  prevent  these  I'esults,  it  has  been  recommended 
"  to  set  an  empty  hive  with  some  pieces  of  comb, 
fastened  in  the  top  in  the  place  of  the  one  removed, 
to  catch  the  bees  that  go  back  to  the  old  stand,  and 
remove  them  at  night  for  a  few  times,  when  they  re- 
main." This  should  be  done  only  when  we  cannot  do 
better  ;  it  is  considerable  trouble  ;  besides  this,  we  do 
not  always  succeed  to  our  satisfaction. 

HOW    AVOIDED. 

I  like  the  plan  of  bringing  them  a  mile  or  more  for 
this  purpose,  and  have  no  after  trouble  about  it.  Two 
neighbors  being  that  distance  apart,  each  having 
stocks  in  this  condition  might  exchange  bees,  making 
the  benefit  mutual.  I  have  done  so,  and  considered 
myself  well  paid  for  the  trouble.     But  latterly  I  have 


312  TALL   MANAGEMENT. 

had  several  apiaries  away  from  home,  and  now  manage 
without  difficulty. 

ADVANTAGES    OF    MAKING    ONE    GOOD    STOCK    FROM    TWO 
POOR    ONES. 

This  making  one  good  stock  out  of  two  poor  ones, 
cannot  be  too  highly  recommended ;  aside  from  its 
advantages,  it  relieves  us  from  all  disagreeable  feel- 
ings in  taking  life,  that  we  can  with  but  little  trouble 
preserve. 

TWO    FAMILIES    TOGETHER    WILL    NOT    CONSUME    AS    MUCH 
AS    IF    SEPARATE. 

Even  when  a  stock  already  contains  bees  enough  to 
make  it  safe  for  winter,  another  of  the  same  number 
of  bees  may  be  added,  and  the  consumption  of  honey 
ivill  not  he  five  lbs.  more  than  one  swarra  would  consume 
alone.  If  they  should  be  wintered  in  the  cold,  the 
difference  might  not  be  one  pound.  Why  more  bees 
do  not  consume  a  proportionate  quantity  of  honey, 
(which  the  experience  of  others  as  well  as  myself 
has  thoroughly  proved),  is  a  mystery,  unless  the 
greater  number  of  bees  creates  more  animal  heat,  and 
being  warm,  eat  less,  is  a  solution,  (which  if  it  is,  is  a 
strong  reason  for  keeping  bees  warm  in  winter.) 

AN    EXPERIMENT. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  I  cannot  recommend  mak- 
ing a  good  stock  better  by  adding  the  bees  from  another 
good  one  as  a  source  of  profit.  I  tried  it  a  few  times. 
I  had  purchased  some  large  hives  for  market,  and 
wished  to  dispose  of  the  bees  without  sulphur,  and 


TALL   MANAGEMENT.  313 

try  the  experiment  of  uniting  two  or  more.  The 
next  spring  when  they  commenced  work  such  double 
stocks  promised  much  ;  but  when  the  swarming  season 
arrivedj  the  single  swarms,  such  as  were  good  and  had 
just  about  bees  enough,  were  in  the  best  condition,  in 
ordinary  seasons.  Whether  this  was  owing  to  the 
circumstance  of  there  being  already  bees  enough  that 
were  beginning  to  crowd  and  interfere  with  each 
other's  labors,  and  less  brood  raised  in  consequence, 
or  to  some  other  reason,  I  cannot  say.  I  have  often 
noticed,  (as  others  have),  that  stocks  which  have  cast 
no  swarms,  are  no  better  the  next  spring  than  others. 
The  same  cause  might  operate  in  both  cases.  There- 
fore it  would  appear  unnecessary  to  unite  two  or  more 
good  swarms^  unless  it  is  to  spare  our  feelings  in  de- 
stroying the  bees.  The  two  extremes  may  generally 
be  avoided,  and  not  have  too  many  or  too  few  bees. 

SEASON    FOR    OPERATrNG. 

The  season  for  operating  is,  generally,  when  all  the 
brood  has  matured  and  left  the  cells.  The  exceptions 
are  when  there  are  not  bees  enough  to  protect  the 
stores ;  it  may  then  be  necessary,  immediately  after 
the  failure  of  honey. 

Col.  H.  K.  Oliver,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  is  said  to  be  the 
inventor  of  the  fumigator,  an  instrument  to  burn 
fungus  {puff-hall).  By  the  aid  of  this  the  smoke  is 
blown  in  the  hive,  paralyzing  the  bees  in  a  few 
minutes ;  when  they  fall  to  the  bottom,  apparently 
dead,  but  will  recover  in  a  few  minutes,  on  receiving 
fresh  air. 

14 


314 


PALL   MANAGEMENT. 


THE    FUMIGATOR. 

I  am  indebted  to  a  communication  from  J.  M, 
"Weeks,  published  on  page  151  of  the  Cultivator  for 
1841,  for  this  method.  The  description  of  the  fumi- 
gator  that  I  constructed  will  vary  a  trifle  from  his, 
but  will  retain  the  principle.  I  obtained  a  tin  tube 
four  inches  long,  and  two  in  diameter.  Next,  I  made 
a  stopper  of  soft  wood,  three  inches  long,  to  exactly- 
fit  one  end  of  the  tube  when  driven  in  half  an  inch, 
and  secured  it  by  little  nails  driven  through  the  tin. 
Through  the  centre  of  this  stopper  I  made  a  hole 
one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  To  prevent  this 
hole  filling  up,  the  end  in  the  tube  was  covered,  over 
with  wire  cloth,  made  a  little  convex.  The  end  of 
this  stopper  was  cut  down  to  about  half  an  inch,  taper- 
ing it  from  the  tin.  For  the  other  end  a  similar  piece 
of  wood  is  fitted,  though  a  little  longer,  and  not  to  be 
fastened,  as  it  must  be  taken  out  for  every  operation. 
The  outer  end  of  this  is  cut  down  into  a  shape  to  be 
taken  into  the  mouth,  or  attached  to  the  pipe  of  a 
bellows.  (I  fitted  them  in  the  turning  lathe,  but  have 
seen  them  fixed  very  nicely  without.)  It  could  all  be 
made  of  tin ;  but  then  it  is  necessary  to  use  solder, 
which  is  liable  to  melt  and  cause  leaks. 


FUMIGATOR. 

The  puff-balls  must  not  be  too  much  injured  by 


FALL   MANAGEMENT.  315 

remaining  in  the  weather,  and  should  be  picked,  if 
possible,  just  before  they  are  ripe  and  burst  open. 
When  not  thoroughly  dry,  put  them  in  the  oven  after 
the  bread  is  out."  When  used,  the  cuticle  or  rind 
must  be  carefully  removed;  ignite  it  by  a  lamp  or 
coal  (it  will  not  blaze  in  burning),  blow  it,  and  get  it 
thoroughly  started,  before  putting  it  in  the  tube.  Put 
in  the  stopper,  and  blow  through  it ;  if  it  smokes  well, 
you  are  ready  to  proceed.  When  it  does  not  burn 
freely,  unstop  and  shake  it  out.  The  dry  air  is  much 
better  than  moist  breath  at  the  commencement. 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    UNITING    TWO    FAMILIES. 

The  hive  to  receive  the  bees  is  inverted,  the  other  set 
over  it  right  end  up,  all  crevices  stopped  to  prevent  the 
escape  of  the  smoke.  Now  insert  the  end  of  the  fumigator 
into  a  hole  in  the  side  of  the  hive  (which  if  not  made 
before  will  need  to  be  now) ;  blow  into  the  other  end, 
this  forces  the  smoke  into  the  hive ;  in  two  minutes 
you  may  hear  the  bees  begin  to  fall.  Both  hives 
should  be  smoked;  the  upper  one  the  most,  as  we 
want  all  the  bees  out  of  that.  The  other  only  needs 
enough  to  make  the  scent  of  the  bees  similar  to  those 
introduced.  At  the  end  of  eight  or  ten  minutes,  the 
upper  hive  may  be  raised,  and  any  bees  sticking  be- 
tween the  combs  brushed  down  with  a  quill.  The 
two  queens  in  this  case  are  of  course  tegether ;  one 
will  be  destroyed,  and  no  difiiculty  arise.  But  if 
either  of  them  is  a  young  one,  and  you  have  been 
convinced  by  some  "bee-doctor"  that  such  are  much 
more  prolific,  and  happen  to  know  which  hive  con- 


816  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

tains  her,  and  wish  that  one  to  be  preserved,  you  can 
do  so  by  varying  the  process  a  little.  Instead  of  in- 
verting one  hive,  set  them  both  on  a  cloth  right  side 
up,  and  smoke  the  bees ;  the  queens  are  easily  found, 
while  they  are  all  paralyzed ;  then  put  the  bees  all  to- 
gether. The  hive  should  now  have  a  thin  cloth  tied 
over  the  bottom,  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  bees. 
Before  they  are  fully  recovered,  they  seem  rather  be- 
wildered, and  some  of  them  get  away.  Set  the  hive 
right  end  up,  and  raise  it  an  inch ;  the  bees  drop  on 
the  cloth,  and  fresh  air  passing  under  soon  revives 
them.  In  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours,  they 
may  be  let  out. 

Families  put  together  in  this  way  will  seldom  quar- 
rel (not  more  than  one  in  twenty),  but  remain  to- 
gether, defending  themselves  against  intruders  as  one 
swarm. 

I  once  had  a  stock  nearly  destitute  of  bees,  with 
abundant  stores  for  wintering  a  large  family.  I  had 
let  it  down  on  the  floor-board,  and  was  on  the  look- 
out for  an  attack.  The  other  bees  soon  discovered 
this  weakness,  and  commenced  carrying  off  the  honey. 
I  had  brought  home  a  swarm  to  reinforce  them  only 
the  day  before,  and  immediately  united  them  by 
means  of  the  fumigator.  The  next  morning  I  let 
them  out,  allowing  them  to  issue  only  at  the  hole  in 
the  side  of  the  hive.  It  was  amusing  to  witness  the 
apparent  consternation  of  the  robbers  that  were  on 
hand  for  more  plunder;  they  had  been  there  only  the 
day  before,  and  had  been  allowed  to  enter  and  depart 
without  even  being  questioned.     But  lo!  a  change 


FALL   MANAGEMENT.  317 

had  come  over  the  matter.  Instead  of  open  doors 
and  a  free  passage,  the  first  bee  that  touched  the  hive 
was  seized  and  very  rudely  handled,  and  at  last  dis- 
patched with  a  sting.  A  few  others  receiving  similar 
treatment,  they  began  to  exercise  a  little  caution,  then 
tried  to  find  admission  on  the  back  side,  and  other 
places ;  and  attempted  one  or  two  others  on  either 
side,  perhaps  thinking  they  were  mistaken  in  the 
hive ;  but  these  being  strong,  repulsed  them,  and  they 
finally  gave  it  up.  I  mention  this  to  show  how  easy 
it  is,  with  a  little  care,  to  prevent  robberies  at  this 
season.  Too  many  complaints  are  made  about  bees 
being  robbed ;  it  is  very  disagreeable.  Suppose  that 
none  were  plundered  iJ^ rough  carelessness;  this  complaint 
would  soon  be  a  rare  thing. 

UNITING    WITH    TOBACCO    SMOKE. 

By  the  use  of  tobacco  smoke,  bees  may  be  united 
with  nearly  the  same  success.  First,  smoke  the  two 
to  be  united,  thoroughly ;  disturb  them  and  smoke 
again,  that  all  may  become  partially  drunk,  and  ac- 
quire the  same  scent.  Then  invert  both  hives,  and 
with  your  pruning  tools,  cut  the  combs  down  on  the 
sides  of  the  hive,  and  across  the  top,  and  take  out  one 
3omb  at  a  time  with  the  bees  on  it,  and  brush  them 
with  a  quill  into  the  other  hive  ;  they  immediately  go 
iown  among  the  combs,  without  once  thinking  it  ne- 
cessary to  sting  you.  When  done,  the  bees  are  to  be 
confined,  the  same  as  in  the  other  method.  I  do  not 
like  this  method  as  well  as  the  first,  and  do  not  resort 
to  it  when  I  can  get  the  puff-ball.     The  bees  are  more 


318  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

liable  to  disagree,  and  it  compels  me  to  take  out  the 
comb,  which  I  do  not  always  like  to  do  at  the  time. 
To  avoid  it,  I  have  tried  to  drive  them,  but  when  the 
hive  is  onl}^  part  full  of  combs,  or  contains  but  few 
bees,  it  is  a  slow  job  ;  and  more  so  in  cool  weather. 

CONDITION    OF   STOCKS    IN    1851. 

The  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1851  was  very 
dry  and  cold  ;  the  yield  of  buckwheat  honc}^  was  not 
a  tenth  of  the  usual  quantity ;  the  consequence  was, 
that  none  but  early  swarms  had  sufficient  honey  for 
winter;  twenty -five  pounds  is  required  to  make  it 
safe  in  this  section.  I  had  over  thirty  young  swarms 
with  less  than  that  quantit}'.  Feeding  for  winter  I 
avoid  when  I  can  ;  they  would  not  winter  as  they 
were ;  and  yet  I  made  the  most  of  them  good  stocks 
for  the  next  summer  by  the  following  plan. 

HOW    THEY    WERE    MANAGED. 

1  had  about  twenty  old  stocks  with  diseased  brood, 
and  but  few  bees,  yet  honey  enough.  Now  this  honey 
appears  healthy  enough  for  the  old  bees,  and  fatal 
only  to  the  young  brood. 

I  transferred  the  bees  of  these  new  swarms  to  the 
old  stocks  with  black  comb  and  diseased  brood.  The 
bees  were  thus  wintered  on  honey  of  but  little  account 
any  way,  and  all  that  was  in  the  others,  new  and 
healthy,  was  saved.  These  new  hives  were  set  in  a 
cold  dry  place  for  winter;  right  end  up,  to  prevent 
much  of  the  honey  from  dripping  out  of  the  cells ; 
some  will  leak  then,  but  not  as  much  as  when  the  hive 
is  bottom  up.     Honey  that  runs  out,  when  the  hive  is 


FALL    MANAGEMENT.  S19 

bottom  up,  will  soak  into  the  wood  at  the  base  of  the 
combs ;  this  will  have  a  tendency  to  loosen  the  fasten- 
ings, and  render  them  liable  to  fall,  &c. 

The  next  March  the  bees  were  again  transferred 
from  the  old  to  the  new  hives.  My  method  is  as  fol- 
lows: As  the  combs  in  the  hive  to  receive  the  bees 
are  rather  cold,  I  set  them  by  the  fire,  or  in  a  warm 
room,  for  several  hours  previous.  I  take  a  warm 
room  before  a  window,  and  as  some  few  bees  fly  off, 
they  will  collect  there.  The  new  hive  is  turned  bot- 
tom up  on  the  floor ;  the  old  one  on  a  bench  by  the 
side  of  it,  having  smoked  the  bees  to  keep  them  quiet. 
One  comb  at  a  time  is  taken  out,  and  the  bees  brushed 
into  the  new  hive ;  (a  little  smoke  will  keep  them 
there).  When  through,  I  get  the  few  on  the  window, 
and  tie  over  a  cloth  to  confine  them,  and  keep  them 
warm  for  a  few  hours  longer.  Paralyzing  with  puff- 
ball  will  answer  instead,  but  they  do  not  always  all 
fall  out  of  the  combs  when  the  hive  is  filled  to  the 
bottom,  and  it  is  possible  that  if  a  few  were  left,  the 
queen  might  be  one.  Also  a  very  few  bees  are  worth 
saving  at  this  season,  and  the  combs  might  have  to 
be  broken  out  at  last,  for  this  purpose. 

When  a  good-sized  family  is  put  in  a  hive  contain- 
ing fifteen  or  twenty  pounds  of  honey,  and  near  half 
full  of  clean  new  comb,  they  are  about  as  sure  to  fill 
up  and  cast  a  swarm,  as  another  that  is  full  and  has 
wintered  a  swarm, 

CAUSE    OF    THEIR    SUPERIOR    THRIFT. 

One  cause  of  superior  thrift  may  be  found  in  the 


820  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

circumstance,  that  all  moth  eggs  and  worms  are  frozea 
to  death,  and  the  bees  are  not  troubled  with  a  single 
worm  before  June.  No  young  bees  have  to  be  re- 
moved to  work  them  out.  Nearly  every  young  bee 
that  is  fed  and  sealed  up,  comes  forth  perfect,  and  of 
course  makes  a  vast  difference  in  the  increase. 

SWARMS    PARITY    FILLED    PAY    BETTER    THAN    TO    CUT    OUT    THE 

HONEY. 

Any  person  wishing  to  increase  his  stocks  to  the 
utmost,  will  find  this  plan  of  saving  all  part-filled 
hives,  of  much  more  advantage  than  to  break  it  out 
for  sale.  Suppose  you  have  an  old  stock  that  needs 
pruning,  and  have  neglected  it,  or  it  has  refused  to 
swarm,  and  give  you  a  chance  without  destroying  too 
much  brood.  You  can  let  it  be,  and  put  on  the 
boxes;  perhaps  get  twenty-five  pounds  of  cap  honey; 
and  then  winter  the  bees  as  described,  and  in  the 
spring  transfer  them  to  the  new  combs.  Again,  if 
there  is  no  stocks  to  be  transferred  in  the  spring,  keep 
them  till  the  swarming  season.  If  a  swarm  put  into 
an  empty  hive  would  just  fill  it,  the  same  swarm  put 
into  one  containing  fifteen  pounds  of  honey,  it  seems 
plain,  would  make  that  number  of  pounds  in  boxes. 
The  advantage  is,  in  the  comparative  value  of  box  or 
cap  honey  over  that  stored  in  the  hive  ;  the  difference 
being  from  thirty  to  a  hundred  per  cent. 

ADVANTAGES  IN  TRANSFERRING. 

I  would  now  like  to  show  the  advantages  I  derived 
in  transferring  the  twenty  swarms  before  mentioned. 


FALL   MAKAGEMEXT.  321 

We  will  suppose  that  eacli  family,  from  the  first  of 
October  till  April,  consumed  twenty  pounds  of  honey. 
That  in  the  centre  combs,  where  there  is  most  bee- 
bread,  &c.,  is  eaten  first ;  if  any  is  left,  it  is  at  the  top 
and  outside.  If  I  had  attempted  to  take  out  and 
strain  this  twenty  pounds  in  the  fall,  it  would  have 
been  so  mixed  with  dead  brood,  and  bee-bread,  that  I 
probably  should  have  rejected  most  of  it.  The  re- 
mainder, when  strained,  might  have  been  five  pounds, 
not  more.  The  market  price  for  it  is  about  ten  cents 
per  pound  ;  amount  fifty  cents.  We  will  sa}'  the  new 
hive  kept  through  the  winter  to  receive  the  bees  in 
the  spring  contained  fifteen  pounds ;  this  would  also 
have  averaged  about  ten"  cents  per  pound,  amount- 
ing to  $1.50.  All  that  a  stock  of  this  kind  costs 
me  appears  to  be  just  $2.00,  and  worth  at  least 
$5.00.  The  advantage  in  changing  twenty  would  be 
$60.00.  The  labor  of  transferring  will  offset  against 
the  trouble  of  straining,  preparing,  and  the  expense 
of  getting  the  honey  to  market. 

ANOTHER  METHOD  OF  UNITING  TWO  FAMILIES. 

I  have  occasionally  adopted  yet  another  method  of 
making  a  good  stock  from  two  poor  ones,  which  the 
reader  may  prefer.  When  all  your  old  stocks  have 
been  reinforced  that  need  it,  and  you  still  have  some 
swarms  with  too  few  bees  and  too  little  honey  for  safety 
as  they  are,  two  or  more  can  be  united.  The  fact,  which 
has  been  thoroughly  tested,  that  two  families  of  bees, 
when  united  and  wintered  in  one  hive,  will  consume 
but  little,  if  any  more,  than  each  of  them  would  sepa- 
14* 


822  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

lately,  is  a  very  important  principle  in  this  matter. 
If  each,  family  should  have  fifteen  pounds  of  honey, 
they  would  consume  it  all,  and  probably  starve  at  last, 
after  eating  thirty  pounds.  But  if  the  contents  of 
both  were  in  one  hive,  it  would  be  amply  sufficient, 
and  some  to  spare  in  the  spring. 

UNITING  COMB  AND    HONEY  AS  WELL  AS  BEES. 

The  process  of  uniting  them  is  simple.  Smoke 
both  the  stocks  or  swarms  thoroughly,  and  turn  them 
over.  Choose  the  one  with  the  straightest  combs,  or 
the  one  nearest  full,  to  receive  the  contents  of  the 
other ;  trim  off  the  points  of  the  combs  to  make  them 
square  across,  and  this  one  is  ready  ;  remove  the  sticks 
from  the  other,  and  with  your  tools  take  out  the 
combs  with  the  bees  on  as  before  directed,  one  at  a 
time,  and  carefully  set  them  on  the  edges  of  the  other  ; 
if  the  shape  will  admit  it,  let  the  edges  match  ;  if  not, 
let  them  cross.  Small  bits  of  wood  or  rolls  of  paper 
will  be  needed  between  them,  to  preserve  the  right 
distance.  When  both  hives  are  of  one  size,  the  trans- 
ferred combs  will  exactly  fit,  if  you  are  careful  to 
place  them  as  they  were  before.  You  will  now  want 
to  know,  "  what  is  to  prevent  these  combs  from  falling 
out  when  the  hive  is  turned  over?"  This  hivo  is  to 
remain  bottom  up  in  some  dark  place  for  some  time, 
or  till  spring.  (See  method  of  wintering  bees.)  The 
bees  will  immediately  join  these  combs  fast ;  the  hive 
being  inverted,  the  honey  in  these  combs  will  be  con- 
sumed first;  and  when  the  hive  is  again  set  out  in 
spring,  it  will  be  a  rare  occurrence  for  any  pieces  to 


FALL   MANAGEMENT.  323 

drop  out.  Should  any  pieces  project  beyond  the  bot- 
tom of  the  hive,  they  may  be  trimmed  off  even  after 
they  are  fastened,  any  time  before  setting  out.  An 
additional  cross-stick  may  pass  under  the  bottom  of 
the  combs,  to  assist  in  holding  them,  if  you  desire. 
You  will  probably  never  discover  any  difference  in 
the  subsequent  prosperity  in  consequence  of  the  join- 
ing or  crossing  of  the  combs  in  the  middle.  I  have 
had  them  in  this  way,  when  they  were  among  the 
most  prosperous  of  my  stocks.  As  this  operation  is  to 
be  put  off"  till  Xovember,  it  will  be  an  advantage  in  an- 
other way ;  that  is,  families  of  the  same  apiary  can  be 
united,  and  will  mostly  forget  the  old  location  by  spring, 
and  no  difficulty  arise  by  returning  to  the  old  stand,  etc. 

WHEN  FEEDING  SHOULD  BE  DONE  FOR  STOCK  mVES. 

In  some  sections  of  country  the  honey  is  more  fre- 
quently wanting  than  bees,  or  comb,  and  some  seasons 
in  this ;  in  such  cases,  it  will  be  found  an  advantage 
to  feed,  until  enough  is  stored  for  winter.  This  should 
be  done  in  September  or  October.  But  if  they  lack 
comb  as  well  as  honey,  and  you  wish  to  try  feeding, 
(which  I  seldom  do  lately,)  it  should  be  done  if  pos- 
sible in  warm  weather,  as  they  cannot  work  combs  to 
advantage  in  the  cold.  While  feeding  bees,  it  requires 
a  great  deal  of  caution  to  prevent  others  from  scenting 
the  honey,  and  their  contentions  about  it.  The  safest 
place  is  on  the  top  of  the  hive,  with  a  good  cap  over ; 
but  they  will  not  work  quite  as  fast,  especially  if  the 
weather  is  cool.  The  next  best  place  is  under  the 
bottom  in  the  manner  described  in  Chapter  IX. 


824  FALL   MANAGEMENT. 

Setting  out  honey  to  feed  all  at  once,  I  condemn 
wholly.  These  disadvantages  attend  it :  strong  stocks 
that  do  not  need  an  ounce,  will  get  two  or  three 
pounds,  while  those  weaker  ones,  needing  it  more, 
will  not  get  one.  Nearly  every  stock,  in  a  short  time, 
will  be  fighting.  Probably  the  first  bee  that  comes 
home  with  a  load,  will  inform  a  number  of  its  fellows 
that  a  treasure  is  close  at  hand.  A  number  will  sally 
out  immediately,  without  waiting  for  particular  direc- 
tions for  finding  it ;  and  mistaking  other  hives  for  the 
place,  alight  there,  are  seized  and  probably  dispatched. 
As  soon  as  the  honey  given  them  is  gone,  the  tumult 
is  greatly  increased,  and  great  numbers  are  destroyed. 
If  any  of  your  neighbors  near  you  have  bees,  you  must 
expect  to  divide  with  them. 

If  the  honey  to  be  fed  is  in  the  comb,  and  your 
hives  are  not  full,  and  they  are  to  be  wintered  in  the 
house,  bottom  up,  it  may  be  done  at  any  time  through 
the  winter,  merely  by  laying  pieces  with  honey  on 
those  in  the  hive.  The  bees  readily  remove  the  con- 
tents into  their  own  combs;  when  empty,  remove 
them  and  put  in  more  until  they  have  a  full  supply. 
They  will  join  such  pieces  of  comb  to  their  own  ;  yet 
there  will  be  no  harm  in  breaking  them  loose.  The 
principal  objection  to  feeding  in  this  way,  will  be 
found  in  the  tendency  to  make  them  uneasy  and  dis- 
posed to  leave  the  hive,  when  we  want  them  as  quiet 
as  possible.  A  thin  muslin  cloth,  or  other  means,  will 
be  necessary  to  confine  them  to  the  hive. 

I  have  now  given  directions  to  avoid  killing  any 
family  of  bees  worth  saving,  if  we  choose. 


WINTERIXG   BEES.  325 

When  such  as  need  feeding  have  been  fed,  and  all 
weak  families  made  strong  by  additions,  etc.,  but  little 
more  fall  work  is  needed  in  the  apiary.  It  is  only 
Avhen  you  have  weak  stocks,  unfit  to  winter,  that  it  is 
necessary  to  be  on  the  lookout  every  warm  day  to 
prevent  pillage. 


CHAPTEE   XXII. 

WINTERIXG     BEES. 

There  is  almost  as  much  diversity  of  opinion  vr\h. 
respect  to  wintering  bees  as  in  the  construction  of 
hives,  and  about  as  difficult  to  reconcile. 

DIFFERENT  METHODS  HAVE    BEEN  ADOPTED. 

One  will  tell  you  to  keep  them  warm,  another  to 
keep  them  cold ;  to  keep  them  in  the  sun,  out  of  the 
sun,  bury  them  in  the  ground,  put  them  in  the  cellar, 
the  chamber,  wood-house,  and  other  places,  and  no 
places  at  all ;  that  is,  to  let  them  remain  as  they  are, 
without  any  attention.  Here  are  plans  enough  to 
drive  the  inexperienced  into  despair.  Yet  I  have  no 
doubt  but  that  bees  have  been  sometimes  successfully 
wintered  by  all  these  contradictory  methods.  That 
some  of  these  methods  are  superior  to  others,  needs 
no  argument  to  illustrate.  But  what  method  is  hest^ 
is  our  province  to  inquire.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ex- 
amine the  subject  without  prejudice  to  bias  our  judg- 
ment. 


326  WINTERING  BEES. 

THE  IDEA  OF  BEES  NOT  FREEZING  HAS  LED  TO  ERRORS  IN  PRAC- 
TICE. 

By  close  observation  we  shall  probably  discover 
that  the  assertion  so  often  repeated,  that  bees  have 
never  frozen  except  when  without  honey,  has  led  to 
an  erroneous  practice, 

APPEAKANCE  OF  BEES  IN  COLD  TSTEATHER. 

We  will  first  endeavor  to  examine  the  condition  of 
a  stock  left  to  nature,  without  any  care,  and  see  if  it 
affords  any  hints  for  our  guidance,  when  to  assist  and 
protect  with  artificial  means. 

Warmth  being  the  first  requisite,  a  family  of  bees 
at  the  approach  of  cold  weather  crowd  together  in  a 
globular  form,  into  a  compass  corresponding  to  the 
degree  of  cold ;  when  at  zero  it  is  much  less  than  at 
thirty  above.  Those  on  the  outside  of  this  cluster  are 
somewhat  stiffened  with  cold ;  while  those  inside  are 
as  brisk  and  lively  as  in  summer.  In  severe  weather 
every  possible  space  within  their  circle  is  occupied  ; 
even  each  cell  not  containing  pollen  or  honey  will 
hold  a  bee.  Suppose  this  cluster  is  sufficiently  com- 
pact for  mutual  warmth,  with  the  mercury  at  40,  and 
a  sudden  change  brings  it  down  to  zero,  in  a  few 
hours,  this  body  of  bees,  like  most  other  things,  speed- 
ily contracts  by  the  cold.  The  bees  on  the  outside, 
being  already  chilled,  a  portion  of  them  that  does  not 
keep  up  with  the  shrinking  mass,  is  left  exposed  at  a 
distance  from  their  fellows,  and  receive  but  little  ben- 
efit of  the  warmth  generated  there ;  they  part  with 
their  vitality,  and  are  lost. 


WINTERING   BEES.  327 

HOW  PART  OF  THE  SWARM  IS  FROZEN. 

A  good  family  will  form  a  ball  or  circle  about  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  generally  about  equal  every  way, 
and  must  occupy  the  spaces  between  four  or  five 
combs.  As  combs  must  separate  them  into  divisions, 
the  two  outer  ones  are  smallest,  and  most  exposed  of 
any;  these  are  often  found  frozen  to  death  in  severe 
weather.  Should  evidence  be  wanting  from  other 
sources  to  show  that  bees  will  freeze  to  death,  the 
above  would  seem  to  furnish  it.  It  is  said,  "  that  in 
Poland  bees  are  wintered  in  a  semi-torpid  state,  in 
consequence  of  the  extreme  cold."  We  must  either 
doubt  the  correctness  of  this  relation,  or  suppose  the 
bee  of  that  country  a  different  insect  from  ours — a 
kind  of  semi-wasp,  that  will  live  through  the  winter, 
and  eat  little  or  nothing.  The  reader  can  have  no 
dif&culty  in  deciding  which  is  the  most  probable, 
whether  hees  are  bees  throughout  the  world,  endowed 
with  the  same  faculties  and  instincts,  or  that  the  facts 
as  they  are,  are  not  precisely  given,  especially  when 
we  see  what  our  own  apiarians  tell  us  about  their 
never  freezing. 

Here  I  might  use  strong  language  in  contradiction ; 
but  as  I  am  aware  that  such  a  course  is  not  always  the 
most  convincing,  I  prefer  the  test  of  close  observation. 
If  bees  will  freeze,  it  is  important  to  know  it,  and  in 
what  circumstances. 

HOW  A  SMALL  FAMILY  MAT  ALL  FREEZE. 

Suppose  a  quart  of  bees  were  put  in  a  box  or  hive 
where  all  the  cells  were  filled  and  lengthened  out  with 


328  WINTERING   BEES. 

honey  ;  the  spaces  between  the  combs  would  be  about 
one-fourth  of  an  inch — onl}'  room  for  one  thickness  of 
bees  to  spread  through.  The  combs  would  perhaps 
be  one  and  a  half  or  two  inches  thick.  All  the  warmth 
that  could  be  generated  then,  would  be  by  one  course 
or  layer  of  bees,  an  inch  and  a  half  apart.  Although 
every  bee  would  have  food  in  abundance  without 
changing  its  position,  the  first  turn  of  severe  weather 
would  jDrobably  destroy  the  whole.  This,  it  may  be 
said,  "is  an  unnatural  situation."  I  will  admit  that  it 
is;  the  case  was  only  supposed  for  illustration.  I 
know  that  their  winter  quarters  are  among  the  brood 
combs,  where  the  hatching  of  the  brood  leaves  most 
of  the  cells  empty ;  and  the  space  between  the  combs 
is  half  an  inch  ;  a  wise  and  beautiful  arrangement ;  as 
ten  times  the  number  of  bees  can  pack  themselves 
within  a  circle  of  six  inches,  as  can  in  the  other  case ; 
and  in  consequence  the  same  number  of  bees  can  se- 
cure much  more  animal  heat,  and  endure  the  cold 
much  better ;  but  a  sm.all  family,  even  here,  will  often 
be  found  frozen,  as  well  as  starving. 

FROST  AND  ICE  SOMETIMES    SMOTHER    BEES. 

Besides  freezing,  there  are  other  facts  to  be  observed 
in  stocks  which  stand  in  the  cold.  If  we  examine  the 
interior  of  a  hive  containing  a  medium-sized  swarm, 
on  the  first  severely  cold  morning,  except  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  bees,  we  shall  find  the  combs 
and  sides  of  the  hive  covered  with  a  white  frost.  In 
the  middle  of  the  day,  or  as  soon  as  the  temperature 
is  slightly  raised,  this  begins  to  melt, — first  next  to 
the  bees,  then  at  the  sides.     A  succession    of    cold 


WINTERING   BEES.  329 

nights  will  prevent  the  evaporation  of  this  moisture  ; 
and  this  process  of  freezing  and  thawing,  at  the  end  of 
a  week  or  two,  will  form  icicles  sometimes  as  large  as 
a  man's  finger,  attached  to  the  combs  and  the  sides  of 
the  hive.  When  the  bottom  of  the  hive  is  close  to  the 
floor,  it  forms  a  sealing  around  the  edges,  perfectly 
air-tight,  and  your  bees  are  smothered.  I  have  fre- 
quently heard  bee-keepers  say  in  these  cases,  "  The 
storm  blew  in,  and  formed  ice  all  round  the  bottom, 
and  froze  my  bees  to  death."  Others  that  have  had 
their  bees  in  a  cold  room,  finding  them  thus,  "  could 
not  see  how  the  water  and  ice  could  get  there  any  way ; 
were  quite  sure  it  was  not  there  when  carried  in,"  &c. 
Probably  they  never  dreamed  of  its  being  accounted 
for  philosophically,  and  to  analyze  anything  pertain- 
ing to  bees  would  be  rather  small  business.  But  what 
way  can  it  be  accounted  for  ? 

FROST    AND    ICE    IN    A    HIVE    ACCOUNTED    FOR. 

Physiologists  tell  us  "  that  innumerable  pores  in  the 
cuticle  of  the  human  body  are  continually  throwing 
off  waste  or  worn  out  matter ;  that  every  exhalation  of 
air  carries  with  it  a  portion  of  water  from,  the  system, 
in  warm  weather  unperceived,  but  will  be  condensed 
into  particles  large  enough  to  be  seen  in  a  cold  atmo- 
sphere." Now,  if  analogy  be  allowed  here,  we  will 
say  the  bee  throws  of  waste  matter  and  water  in  the 
same  way.  Its  food  being  liquid,  nearly  all  will  be 
exhaled — in  moderate  weather  it  will  pass  off,  but  in 
the  cold  it  is  condensed — the  particles  lodge  on  the 
jombs  in  form  of  frost,  and  accumulate  as  long  as 


330  WINTERING   BEES. 

the  weather  is  very  severe,  a  portion  melting  in  the 
day,  and  freezing  again  at  night. 

THE    EFFECT   OF   ICE    OR    FROST    ON    BEES    AND    COMB. 

When  the  bees  are  not  smothered,  this  water  in  the 
hive  is  the  source  of  other  mischief  The  combs  are 
quite  certain  to  mould.  The  water  mould  or  dampness 
on  the  honey  renders  it  thin,  and  unhealthy  for  the  bees, 
causing  dysentery,  or  the  accumulation  of  faeces  that 
they  are  unable  to  retain.  When  the  hive  contains  a 
very  large  family,  or  a  very  small  one,  there  will  be 
less  frost  on  the  combs, — the  animal  heat  of  the  first 
will  drive  it  off;  in  the  latter  there  will  be  but  little 
exhaled. 

FROST    MAY    CAUSE    STARVATION. 

This  frost  is  frequently  the  cause  of  medium  or 
small  families  starving  in  cold,  weather,  even  when 
there  is  plenty  of  honey  in  the  hive.  Suppose  all  the 
honey  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  cluster  of  bees 
is  exhausted,  and  the  combs  in  every  direction  from 
them  are  covered  with  frost;  if  a  bee  should  leave 
the  mass  and  venture  among  them  for  a  supply, 
its  fate  would  be  as  certain  as  starvation.  And  with- 
out timely  mtervention  of  warmer  weather,  they  must 
perish ! 

OTHER    DIFFICULTIES. 

Should  they  escape  starving,  there  is  another  diffi- 
culty often  attending  them  in  continued  cold  weather. 
I  said  that  small  families  exhaled  but  little.  Let  us 
see  if  we  can  explain  the  effect. 


WINTERING  BEES.  831 

There  is  not  sufficient  animal  heat  generated  to  ex- 
hale the  aqueous  portion  of  their  food.  The  philoso- 
phy that  explains  why  a  man  in  warm  blood  and  in 
profuse  perspiration  would  throw  off  or  exhale  more 
moisture  than  in  a  quiet  state,  will  illustrate  this.  The 
bees  in  these  circumstances  must  retain  the  water  with 
the  excrement! tious  part,  which  soon  distends  their 
bodies  to  the  utmost,  rendering  them  unable  to  endure 
it  long.  Their  cleanly  habits,  that  ordinarily  save  the 
combs  from  being  soiled,  is  not  a  sure  protection  now, 
and  they  are  compelled  to  leave  the  mass  very  often 
in  the  severest  weather,  to  expel  this  unnatural  accu- 
mulation of  faeces.  It  is  frequently  discharged  even 
before  leaving  the  comb,  but  most  of  it  at  the  en- 
trance ;  also  some  scattered  on  the  front  side  of  the 
hive,  and  a  short  distance  from  it.  In  a  moderately 
warm  day,  more  bees  will  issue  from  a  hive  in  this 
condition  than  from  others ;  it  appears  that  a  part  of 
them  are  unable  to  discharge  their  burden — their 
weight  prevents  their  flying — they  get  down  and  are 
lost.  When  cold  weather  is  too  long  continued,  they 
cannot  wait  for  warm  days  to  leave,  but  continue  to 
come  out  at  any  time ;  and  not  one  of  such  can  then 
return.  The  cluster  inside  the  hive  is  thus  reduced 
in  numbers  till  they  are  unable  to  generate  heat  suffi- 
cient to  keep  from  freezing.  With  the  indications 
attendant  upon  such  losses,  my  own  observation  has 
made  me  somewhat  familiar,  as  the  following  con- 
versation will  illustrate. 


832  WINTERING    BEES. 

FURTHER    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

A  neighbor  who  wished  to  purchase  some  stock 
hives  in  the  fall,  requested  my  assistance  in  selecting 
them.  We  applied  to  a  perfect  stranger ;  his  bees 
had  passed  the  previous  winter  in  the  open  air.  I 
found  on  looking  among  them  that  he  had  lost  some 
of  them  from  this  cause,  as  the  excrement  was  yet 
about  the  entrance  of  one  old  weather-beaten  hive, 
that  was  now  occupied  by  a  young  swarm,  and  was 
about  half  filled  with  combs. 

I  saw  at  once  what  had  been  the  matter,  and  felt 
quite  confident  that  I  could  give  its  owner  a  correct 
history  of  it.  "Sir,"  said  I,  "you  have  been  un- 
fortunate with  the  bees  that  were  in  this  hive  last 
winter ;  I  think  I  can  give  you  some  particulars  re- 
specting it." 

"  Ah,  what  makes  you  think  so  ?  I  would  like  to 
hear  you  guess ;  to  encourage  you,  I  will  admit  that 
there  has  been  something  rather  peculiar  about  it." 

"  One  year  ago  you  considered  that  a  good  stock- 
hive  ;  it  was  well  filled  with  honey,  a  good  family  of 
Dees,  and  two  or  three  years  old  or  more.  You  had 
as  much  confidence  in  its  wintering  as  any  other ;  but 
during  the  cold  weather,  somehow,  the  bees  unac- 
countably disappeared,  leaving  but  a  very  few,  and 
they  were  found  frozen  to  death.  You  discovered  it 
towards  spring,  on  a  warm  da}'.  When  you  removed 
the  combs,  you  probably  noticed  a  great  many  spots 
of  excrement  deposited  on  them,  as  well  as  on  the 
sides  of  the  hive,  particularly  near  the  entrance. 
Also  one-half  or  more  of  the  breeding  cells  contained 


WINTERING   BEES.  333 

dead  brood,  in  a  putrid  state ;  and  this  summer  you 
have  used  the  old  hive  for  a  new  swarm," 

"  You  are  right,  sir,  in  every  particular.  Now,  I 
would  like  to  know  what  gave  you  the  idea  of  my 
losing  the  bees  in  that  hive  ?  I  can  see  nothing  pe- 
culiar about  that  old  hive,  more  than  this  one,"  point- 
ing to  another  that  also  contained  a  new  swarm. 
"  You  will  greatly  oblige  me  if  you  will  point  out  the 
signs  particularly." 

"I  will  do  so  with  pleasure"  (feeling  quite  willing 
to  give  him  the  impression  that  I  was  "  posted  up"  on 
this  subject,  notwithstanding  it  savored  strongly  of 
boasting). 

I  then  directed  his  attention  to  the  entrance  in  the 
side  of  the  hive,  where  the  bees  had  discharged  their 
faeces,  on  the  moment  they  issued,  until  it  was  near 
the  eighth  of  an  inch  thick,  and  two  or  three  inches 
broad;  that  yet  remained,  and  just  began  to  cleave 
off.  "  You  see  this  brown  substance  around  this  hole 
in  the  hive  ?" 

"Yes,  it  is  bee-glue  {propolis);  it  is  very  common 
on  old  hives." 

"  I  think  not ;  if  you  will  examine  it  closely,  you 
will  perceive  it  is  not  so  hard  and  bright ;  it  already 
begins  to  crumble ;  bee-glue  is  not  affected  by  the 
weather  for  years." 

"Just  so,  but  what  is  it,  and  what  has  that  to  do 
with  your  guess-work  ?" 

"  It  is  the  excrement  of  the  bees.  In  consequence 
of  a  great  many  cells  containing  dead  brood,  which 
the  bees  could  not  enter,  they  were  unable  to  pack 


334  WINTERING   BEES. 

themselves  close  enough  to  secure  sufficient  animal 
heat  to  exhale  or  drive  off  the  water  in  their  food,  it 
was  therefore  retained  in  their  bodies  till  they  were 
distended  beyond  endurance — they  were  unable  to 
wait  for  a  warm  day — necessity  compelled  them  to 
issue  daily  during  the  coldest  weather,  discharging 
their  fseces  the  moment  of  passing  the  entrance,  and 
part  of  them  before.  They  were  immediately  chilled, 
and  could  not  return ;  the  quantity  left  about  this 
entrance  shows  that  a  great  many  must  have  come 
out.  That  they  came  out  in  cold  weather  is  proved 
by  its  being  left  on  the  hive,  because  in  warm  weather 
they  leave  the  hive  for  this  purpose." 

"  This  is  a  new  idea  ;  at  present  it  seems  to  be  cor- 
rect ;  I  will  think  it  over.  But  how  did  you  know 
that  it  was  not  a  new  swarm ;  that  it  was  well  filled  ?" 

"When  looking  under  it  just  now,  I  saw  that  combs 
of  a  dark  color  had  been  attached  to  the  sides  near  the 
bottom,  below  where  those  are  at  present ;  this  indi- 
cates that  it  had  been  full,  and  the  dark  color  that  it 
was  not  new.  Also,  a  swarm  early  and  large  enough 
to  fill  such  a  hive  the  first  season,  would  not  be  very 
likely  to  be  affected  by  the  cold  in  this  way." 

"Why  not?  I  think  this  hive  was  crowded  with 
bees  as  much  as  any  of  my  new  swarms." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  they  appeared  so ;  but  we  are 
very  liable  to  be  deceived  in  such  cases,  by  the  dead 
brood  in  the  combs.  A  moderate-sized  family  in  such 
a  hive  will  make  more  show  than  some  larger  ones 
that  have  empty  cells  to  creep  into,  and  can  pack 
closer." 


WINTERING  BEES.  335 

"  But  how  did  you  know  about  the  dead  brood  ?" 

"  Because  old  stocks  are  thus  often  reduced  and 
lost." 

"  What  were  the  indications  of  its  being  filled  with 
honey?" 

"  Combs  are  seldom  attached  to  the  side  of  the  hive 
farther  down  than  they  are  filled  with  honey.  In  this 
hive  the  combs  had  been  attached  to  the  bottom,  con- 
sequently must  have  been  full.  Another  thing,  unless 
the  family  is  very  much  reduced,  the  hive  is  generally 
well  stored,  even  when  diseased." 

"  Why  did  you  suppose  it  was  near  spring  before  I 
discovered  it?" 

"  I  took  the  chances  of  guessing.  The  majority  of 
bee-keepers,  you  know,  are  rather  careless,  and  when 
they  have  fixed  their  bees  for  winter,  seldom  give 
them  much  more  attention,  till  they  begin  to  fly  out 
in  the  spring." 

"  But  what  should  I  have  done  had  I  discovered 
the  bees  coming  out  ?" 

"As  it  was  affected  with  dead  brood,  it  was  but 
little  use  to  do  anything;  you  would  have  lost  it 
eventually.  But  if  it  had  been  a  stock  otherwise 
healthy,  and  was  affected  in  this  way  only  because  it 
was  a  small  family,  or  the  severity  of  the  weather, 
you  could  have  taken  it  to  a  warm  room,  and  turned 
it  bottom  up;  the  animal  heat  would  then  convert 
the  most  of  the  water  contained  in  their  food  into 
vapor ;  that  would  rise  from  the  hive,  and  the  bees 
could  retain  the  excrementitious  portion  without  diffi- 
culty till  spring." 


336  WINTERING   BEES. 

"  I  suppose  you  must  get  along  without  losing  many 
through,  the  winter,  if  I  may  judge  by  your  confident 
explanations." 

"  I  can  assure  you  I  have  but  little  fear  on  this  head. 
If  I  can  have  the  privilege  of  selecting  proper  stocks, 
I  will  engage  not  to  lose  one  in  a  hundred." 

"  How  do  you  manage  ?  I  would  be  glad  to  obtain 
a  method  in  which  I  could  feel  as  perfectly  safe  as 
you  appear  to." 

"The  first  important  requisite  is  to  have  all  good 
ones  to  start  with.  Enough  weak  families  are  united 
together  till  they  are  strong,  or  some  other  disposition 
made  of  them."  I  then  gave  him  an  outline  of  my 
method  of  wintering,  which  I  can  confidently  recom- 
mend to  the  reader. 

ACCUMULATION    OF    FAECES    DESCRIBED    BY     SOME    WRITERS     AS 
A   DISEASE. 

This  accumulation  of  faeces  is  considered  by  many 
writers  as  a  disease — a  kind  of  dysentery.  It  is  de- 
scribed as  affecting  them  towards  spring,  and  several 
remedies  are  given.  Now  if  what  I  have  been  de. 
scribing  is  not  the  dysentery,  why  I  must  think  I 
never  had  a  case  of  it ;  but  I  shall  still  persist  in 
guessing  it  to  be  the  same,  and  suppose  that  inatten- 
tion with  many  must  be  the  reason  that  it  is  not 
discovered  in  cold  weather,  at  the  time  that  it  takes 
place.  Some  stocks  may  be  badly  affected,  yet  not 
lost  entirely,  when  moderate  weather  will  stop  its 
progress.  When  a  remedy  is  applied  in  the  spring, 
long  after  the  cause  ceases  to  operate,  it  would  be 


WINTERING   BEES.  337 

singular  if  it  was  not  effectual.  I  have  no  doubt  but 
some  have  taken  the  natural  discharge  of  faeces,  that 
always  takes  place  in  spring  when  the  bees  leave  the 
hive,  for  a  disease.  Others,  when  looking  for  a  cause 
for  diseased  brood,  and  found  the  combs  and  hive 
somewhat  besmeared,  have  assigned  this  as  sufficient; 
but  according  to  my  view,  have  reversed  it,  giving 
the  effect  before  the  cause. 

THE    author's    remedy. 

For  a  time,  I  supposed  that  this  moisture  on  the 
combs  gradually  mixed  with  the  honey,  making  it 
thin,  and  that  the  bees  eating  so  much  water  with 
their  food,  would  affect  them  as  described.  Some  ex- 
periments that  followed,  induced  me  to  assign  cold  as 
the  cause,  as  I  always  found,  when  I  put  them  where 
it  was  sufficiently  warm,  that  an  immediate  cure  was 
the  result,  or  at  least,  it  enabled  them  to  retain  their 
faeces  till  set  out  in  the  spring. 

BURYING   BEES. 

Burying  bees  in  the  earth  below  the  frost,  has  been 
recommended  as  a  superior  method  of  wintering,  for 
small  families.  I  have  known  it  confidently  asserted, 
that  they  would  lose  nothing  in  weight,  and  no  bees 
would  die.  I  found,  in  testing  it,  that  a  medium  quan- 
tity of  honey  sufficed,  and  but  very  few  were  lost,  per- 
haps less  than  by  any  other  method.  Yet  the  combs 
were  mouldy,  and  unfit  for  further  use.  There  was 
no  escape  for  the  vapor  and  dampness  of  the  earth. 
15 


338  WINTERING   BEES. 

This  did  not  satisfy  me ;  it  only  cured  '  one  disease  by 
instituting  another."  I  saved  the  bees,  (and  perhaps 
some  honey),  but  the  combs  were  spoiled. 

EXPERIMENTS  OF  THE  AUTHOR  TO  GET  RID  OF  THE  FROST. 

I  wished  to  keep  them  warm,  and  save  the  bees  as 
well  as  honey,  and  at  the  same  time,  get  rid  of  the 
moisture.  I  found  that  a  large  family  expelled  it 
much  better  than  small  ones ;  and  if  all  were  put  to- 
gether in  a  close  room,  the  animal  heat  from  a  large 
number  combined,  would  be  an  advantage  to  the  weak 
ones,  at  least, — this  proved  of  some  benefit.  Yet  I 
found  on  the  sides  of  a  glass  hive,  that  large  drops  of 
water  would  stand  for  weeks. 

SUCCESS    IN    THIS    MATTER. 

The  following  suggestion  then  came  to  my  relief. 
If  this  hive  was  bottom  up,  what  would  prevent  all 
this  vapor  as  it  arises  from  the  bees  from  passing  off? 
(It  always  rises  when  warm,  if  permitted.)  The  hive 
was  inverted  ;  in  a  few  hours  the  glass  was  dry. 

This  was  so  perfectly  simple,  that  I  wondered  I  had 
not  thought  of  it  before,  and  wondered  still  more  that 
some  one  of  the  many  intelligent  apiarians  had  never 
discovered  it.  I  immediately  inverted  every  hive  in 
the  room,  and  kept  them  in  this  way  till  spring ;  when 
the  combs  were  perfectly  bright,  not  a  particle  of 
mould  to  be  seen,  and  was  well  satisfied  with  the  re- 
sult of  my  experiment.  Although  I  was  fearful  that 
more  bees  would  leave  the  hives  when  inverted,  than 


WINTERIXG   BEES.  339 

if  right  side  up,  yet  the  result  showed  no  difference. 
I  had  now  tried  both  methods,  and  had  some  means 
of  judging. 

BEES  WHEN  IN  THE  HOUSE  SHOULD  BE  KEPT  PERFECTLY  DARK. 

When  not  kept  perfectly  dark,  a  few  would  leave 
the  hives  in  either  case.  I  have  found  it  much  better 
to  make  the  room  dark  to  keep  the  bees  in  the  hive, 
than  to  tie  over  them  a  thin  muslin  cloth,  as  that  pre- 
vents a  free  passage  of  the  vapor,  and  a  great  number 
of  full  stocks  were  not  at  all  satisfied  in  confinement ; 
and  were  continually  worrying,  and  biting  at  the 
cloth,  till  they  had  made  several  holes  through  it  for 
passages  out.  Thus  the  little  good  was  attended  by  an 
evil,  as  an  offset.  Even  wire  cloth  put  over  to  confine 
them,  which  would  be  effectual,  would  not  save  bees 
enough  to  pay  expense.  I  have  thus  wintered  them 
for  the  last  ten  years,  and  am  extremely  doubtful  if  a 
better  way  can  be  found.*  For  several  years  I  made 
use  of  a  small  bed-room  in  the  house,  made  perfectly 
dark,  in  which  I  put  about  100  stocks.  It  was  lathed 
and  plastered,  and  no  air  admitted,  except  what  might 
come  through  the  floor.  It  was  single,  and  laid  rather 
close,  though  not  matched. 

A    ROOM    MADE    FOR    WINTERESTG    BEES. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  I  built  a  room  for  this  purpose ; 
the  frame  was  eight  by  sixteen  feet  square,  and  seven 
high,  without  any  windows.     A  good  coat  of  plaster 

*  I  was  so  well  pleased  with  my  success,  especially  with  small  fa- 
milies, that  I  detailed  the  most  important  points  in  a  communication 
to  the  Dollar  Newspaper,  Philadelphia,  published  November,  1848. 


340  WINTERING   BEES. 

was  put  on  the  inside,  a  space  of  four  inches  between 
the  siding  and  lath  was  filled  with  saw-dust ;  under 
the  bottom  I  constructed  a  passage  for  the  admission 
of  air,  from  the  north  side  ;  another  over  head  for  its 
exit,  to  be  closed  and  opened  at  pleasure,  in  moderate 
weather,  to  give  them  fresh  air,  but  closed  when  cold, 
and  so  arranged  as  to  exclude  all  the  light. 

A  partition  was  extended  across  near  the  centre. 
This  was  to  prevent  disturbing  the  whole  by  letting 
in  light  when  carrying  them  out  in  the  spring.  By 
closing  the  door  of  this  partition,  those  in  one  room 
only  need  be  disturbed  at  once. 

MANNER    OF    STOWING    AWAY    BEES. 

Shelves  to  receive  the  hives  were  arranged  in  tiers 
one  above  the  other ;  they  were  loose,  to  be  taken 
down  and  put  up  at  pleasure.  Suppose  we  begin  at 
the  back  end:  the  first  row  is  turned  directly  on  the 
floor,  a  shelf  is  then  put  across  a  few  inches  above 
them,  and  filled,  and  then  another  shelf,  still  above, 
when  we  again  begin  on  the  floor,  and  continue  thus 
till  the  room  is  full ;  or  if  the  room  is  not  to  be  filled, 
the  shelves  may  be  fixed  around  the  sides  of  the  room 
in  two  or  three  courses.  This  last  arrangement  will 
make  it  very  convenient  to  inspect  them  at  any  time 
through  the  winter,  yet  they  should  be  disturbed  as 
little  as  possible.  The  manner  of  stowing  each  one  is 
to  open  the  holes  in  the  top,  then  lay  down  two  square 
sticks,  such  as  are  made  by  splitting  a  board,  of  suit- 
able length,  into  pieces  about  an  inch  wide.  The  hive 
is  inverted  on  these ;  it  gives  a  free  circulation  through 


WINTERING   BEES.  341 

the  hive,  and  carries  off  all  the  moisture  as  fast  as 
generated. 

TEMPERATURE  OF  ROOM. 

The  temperature  of  such  a  room  will  vary  accord- 
ing to  the  number  and  strength  of  the  stocks  put  in ; 
100  or  more  would  be  very  sure  to  keep  it  above  the 
freezing  point  at  all  times.  Putting  a  very  few  into 
such  a  room,  and  depending  on  the  bees  to  make  it 
warm  enough,  would  be  of  doubtful  utility.  If  these 
means  will  not  keep  the  proper  temperature,  proba- 
bly some  other  method  would  be  better.  All  full 
stocks  would  do  well  enough,  as  they  would  almost 
any  way.  Yet  I  shall  recommend  housing  them 
whenever  practicable.  If  the  number  of  stocks  is 
few,  let  the  room  be  proportionably  small.*  It  is  the 
smallest  families  that  are  most  trouble  :  if  they  are  too 
cold,  it  may  be  known  by  bees  leaving  the  hive  in 
cold  weather,  and  spots  of  excrement  on  the  combs ; 
they  should  then  have  some  additional  protection ; 
close  part  or  all  of  the  holes  in  the  top,  cover  the  open 
bottom  partially  or  wholly,  and  confine  to  the  hive  as 
much  as  possible  the  animal  heat ;  when  these  means 
fail,  it  may  be  necessary  to  take  them  to  a  warm  room, 
during  the  coldest  weather. 

*  As  an  additional  proof  tiiat  this  method  of  inverting  hives  in  the 
house  for  winter  is  valuable.  I  would  say  that  Mr.  Miner,  author  of 
the  American  Bee-Keeper"s  Manual,  seems  fully  to  appreciate  it.  In 
the  fall  of  1850,  I  communicated  to  him  this  method  ;  giving  my  rea- 
sons for  preferring  it  to  the  cold  method  recommended  in  his  Manual. 
The  trial  of  one  winter,  it  appears,  satisfied  him  of  its  superiority,  so 
much  so  that  within  a  year  from  that  time  he  published  an  essay  re- 
commending it  :  but  advised  confining  the  bees  with  muslin,  &c. 


342  WINTERING  BEES. 

TOO    MUCH    HONEY    MAY    SOMETIMES    BE    STORJSD. 

After  the  flowers  fail,  and  all  the  brood  has  ma- 
tured and  left  the  combs,  it  sometimes  happens  that  a 
stock  has  an  opportunity  of  plundering,  and  rapidly 
filling  all  those  cells  that  had  been  occupied  with 
brood  during  the  yield  of  honey,  and  which  then 
effectually  prevents  their  storing  in  them.  This,  then, 
prevents  close  packing,  which  is  all-important  for 
warmth.  Although  a  large  family,  as  much  care  is 
needed  as  with  the  smaller  ones.  Also  such  as  are 
aflPected  with  diseased  brood  should  receive  extra  at- 
tention for  the  same  reason. 

Some  bee-keepers  are  unwilling  to  risk  the  bold 
measure  of  inverting  the  hive,  but  content  themselves 
by  merely  opening  the  holes  in  the  top  ;  this  is  better 
than  no  ventilation,  but  not  so  effectual,  as  all  of  the 
moisture  cannot  escape.  There  are  some  who  cannot 
divest  themselves  of  the  idea,  that  if  the  hive  is  turned 
over,  the  bees  must  also  stand  on  their  heads  all 
winter ! 

Rats  and  mice,  when  they  find  their  way  into  such 
room,  are  less  bold  with  their  mischief  than  if  the 
hive  is  in  its  natural  position. 

MAXAGEMEXT    OF    ROOM    TOWARDS    SPRING. 

A  few  warm  days  will  often  occur,  towards  spring, 
before  we  can  get  our  bees  out.  In  these  cases,  a 
bushel  or  two  of  snow  or  ice  pounded  up  should  be 
spread  on  the  floor  ;  it  will  absorb  and  carry  off  as  it 
melts  much  of  the  heat,  that  is  now  unnecessary,  and 
will  keep  them  quiet  much  longer  than  without  it; 


WINTERING  BEES.  343 

(provision  for  getting  rid  of  this  water  should    be 
made  when  putting  down  the  floor.) 

TIME    FOR    SETTrSG    OUT    BEES. 

The  time  for  carrying  out  bees  is  generally  in 
March,  but  some  seasons  later.  A  warm  pleasant  day 
is  the  best,  and  one  quite  cold,  better  than  one  only 
moderately  warm. 

After  their  long  confinement,  the  Hght  attracts  them 
out  at  once,  (unless  very  cold  air  prevents),  and  if  the 
rays  of  a  warm  sun  do  not  keep  them  active,  they 
will  soon  be  chilled  and  lost. 

Some  bee-keepers  take  out  their  stocks  at  evening. 
If  we  could  be  always  sure  of  having  the  next  day  a 
fair  one,  it  would  probably  be  the  best  time ;  but 
should  it  be  only  moderate,  or  cloudy,  it  would  be 
attended  with  considerable  loss — or  if  the  next  day 
should  be  quite  cold,  but  few  would  leave,  and  then 
the  only  risk  would  be  to  get  a  good  day^  before  one 
that  was  just  warm  enough  to  make  them  leave  the 
hive,  but  not  quite  enough  to  enable  them  to  return. 

KOT    TOO    MAXT    STOCKS    TAKEN    OUT    AT    OXCE. 

When  too  many  are  taken  out  at  once,  the  rush 
from  all  the  hives  is  so  much  like  a  swarm,  that  it 
appears  to  confuse  them.  Some  of  the  stocks  by  this 
means  will  get  more  bees  than  actually  belong  to 
them,  while  others  are  proportionably  short,  which 
is  unprofitable,  and  to  equalize  them  is  some  trouble ; 
yet  it  may  be  done.  Being  all  wintered  in  one  room, 
the  scent  or  the  means  of  distinoruishing  their  own 


844  -WINTERING   BEES. 

family  from  strangers,  becomes  so  much  alike,  that 
they  mix  together  without  contention. 

FAMILIES    MAY    BE    EQUALIZED. 

By  taking  advantage  of  this  immediately,  or  before 
the  scent  has  again  changed,  and  each  hive  has  some- 
thing peculiar  to  itself^  you  can  change  the  stands  of 
very  weak  and  very  strong  families. 

To  prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  some  of  these  bad 
effects,  I  prefer  waiting  for  a  fair  day  to  begin,  and 
then  not  until  the  day  has  become  sufficiently  warm 
to  make  it  safe  from  chill. 

SNOW  NEED  NOT  ALWAYS  PREVENT  CARRYING  OUT  BEES. 

I  am  not  particular  about  the  snow  being  gone — if  it 
has  only  lain  long  enough  to  have  melted  a  j)art  of  it, 
it  is  "  terra  firma"  to  a  bee,  and  answers  equally  well 
as  the  bare  earth.  When  the  day  is  right,  about  ten 
o'clock  I  put  out  twelve  or  fifteen,  taking  care  that 
each  hive  occupies  its  old  stand,  at  the  same  time  en- 
deavoring to  take  such  as  will  be  as  far  apart  as  possi- 
ble ;  (to  make  this  convenient,  they  should  be  carried 
in  in  the  manner  that  you  wish  them  to  come  out.) 
When  the  rush  from  these  hives  is  over,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  the  bees  has  gone  back,  I  set  out  as  many 
more  about  twelve  o'clock,  and  when  the  day  con- 
tinues fair,  another  lot  about  two.  In  the  morning, 
while  cool,  I  move  from  the  back  to  the  first  apart- 
ment, about  as  many  as  I  wish  to  set  out  in  a  day, 
except  a  few  at  the  last. 

To  do  this  in  the  middle  of  the  da}^,  while  warm, 


WINTERING  BEES.  345 

would  induce  a  good  many  bees  to  leave  the  hive, 
while  the  light  was  admitted,  and  which  would  be  lost. 
It  will  be  supposed  generally  that  their  long  confine- 
ment makes  them  thus  impatient  to  get  out ;  but  I 
have  frequently  returned  stocks  during  a  cold  turn  of 
weather  after  they  had  been  out,  and  always  found 
such  equally  as  anxious  to  come  out,  as  those  which 
had  been  confined  throughout  the  winter ;  without 
the  airings,  I  have  kept  them  thus  confined,  for  five 
months,  without  difficulty  !  The  important  requisites 
are,  sufficient  warmth  and  perfect  darkness. 

DOES  NOT  ANALOGY  PROVE  THAT  BEES  SHOULD  BE  KEPT 
WARM  IN  WINTER  ? 

Opposition  to  this  method  of  wintering  will  arise 
with  those  who  have  always  thought  that  bees  must 
be  kept  cold;  "  the  colder  the  better."  I  would  sug- 
gest for  their  consideration  the  possibility  of  some 
analogy  between  bees  and  some  of  the  warm-blooded 
animals — the  horse,  ox,  and  sheep,  for  instance,  that 
require  a  constant  supply  of  food,  that  they  may 
generate  as  much  caloric  as  is  thrown  off"  on  the  cold 
air.  This  seems  to  be  regulated  by  the  degree  of 
cold,  else  why  do  they  refuse  the  large  quantity  of 
tempting  provender  in  the  warm  days  of  spring,  and 
greedily  devour  it  in  the  pelting  storm?  The  fact  is 
pretty  well  demonstrated,  that  the  quantity  of  food 
needed  for  the  same  condition  in  spring,  is  much  less 
when  protected  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
than  when  exposed  to  the  severe  cold.  The  bee,  un- 
like the  wasp,  when  once  penetrated  with  frost,  is 
15* 


346  WINTERING   BEES. 

dead — their  temperature  must  be  kept  considerably  above 
the  freezing  point,  and  to  do  this,  food  is  required.  Now 
if  the  bees  are  governed  by  the  same  laws,  and  cold 
air  carries  off  more  heat  than  warm,  and  their  source 
of  renewing  it  is  in  the  consumption  of  honey  in  pro- 
portion to  the  degree  of  cold,  common  sense  would 
say,  keep  them  warm  as  possible.  As  a  certain  de- 
gree of  heat  is  necessary  in  all  stocks,  it  may  take 
about  such  a  quantity  of  honey  to  produce  it,  and 
this  may  explain  why  a  small  family  requires  about 
the  same  amount  of  food  as  others  that  are  very  large. 

THE  NEXT  BEST  PLACE  FOR  WINTERING  BEES. 

A  dry,  warm  cellar  is  the  next  best  place  for  winter- 
ing them ;  the  apiarian  having  one  perfectly  dark, 
with  room  to  spare,  will  find  it  a  very  good  place,  in 
the  absence  of  a  room  above  ground.  If  a  large 
number  was  put  in,  some  means  of  ventilation  should 
be  contrived  for  warm  turns  of  weather.  I  know  an 
apiarian,  who  by  my  suggestion  has  wintered  from 
sixty  to  eighty  stocks  in  this  way,  for  the  last  six 
years,  with  perfect  success,  not  having  lost  one. 
Another  has  wintered  thirty  with  equal  safety. 

As  for  burying  them  in  the  earth,  I  have  not  the 
least  doubt,  if  a  dry  place  should  be  selected,  the  hive 
inverted,  and  surrounded  with  hay,  straw,  or  some 
substance  to  absorb  the  moisture,  and  protected  from 
the  rain,  at  the  top  of  the  covering,  that  perfect  suc- 
cess would  attend  the  experiment.  But  this  is  only 
theory ;  when  I  tried  the  experiment  of  burying,  and 
had  the  combs  mould,  the  hives  were  right  side  up. 


WINTERING   BEES  347 

EVILS  OF  WINTERING  IN  THE  OPEN  Ai.t'  CONSIDERED. 

As  a  great  many  bee-keepers  will  find  it  inconven 
ient,  or  be  unable  to  avail  themselves  of  my  method 
of  wintering,  it  will  be  well  enough  to  see  how  far 
the  evil's  of  the  open  air,  which  we  have  already 
glanced  at,  may  be  successfully  avoided.  I  am  told 
by  those  who  have  tried  wintering  them  in  straw  hives, 
that  in  this  respect  they  are  much  safer  than  those 
made  of  boards ;  probably  the  straw  will  absorb  the 
moisture.  But  as  these  hives  are  more  trouble  to  con- 
struct, and  their  shape  will  prevent  the  use  of  suitable 
boxes  for  surplus  honey,  this  one  advantage  will  hardly 
balance  the  loss.  They  are  said  also  to  be  more  liable 
to  injury  from  the  moth.  We  want  a  hive  that  will 
unite  advantageously  as  many  points  as  possible. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  bees  always  need  air, 
especially  in  the  cold.*  With  this  in  view,  we  will  try 
to  dispose  of  the  vapor  or  frost.  If  the  hive  is  raised 
sufficient  to  let  it  out,  it  will  let  in  the  mice  ;  to  pre- 
vent which,  it  should  be  raised  only  about  one-fourth 
of  an  inch.  The  hole  in  the  side  should  be  nearly 
covered  with  wire  cloth  to  keep  out  the  mice  ;  but  give 
a  passage  for  the  bees ;  otherwise  they  collect  here,  en- 
deavoring to  get  out,  and  remain  till  chilled,  and  thus 
perish  by  hundreds.  The  boxes  on  the  top  must  be 
removed,  but  not  the  cap  or  cover;  the  holes  all 
opened,  to  let  the  vapor  pass  up  into  the  chamber ;  if 
this  is  made  with  perfectly  close  joints,  so  that  no  air 

*  It  is  presumed  that  the  inexperienced  will  soon  learn  to  distin- 
guish such  bees  as  die  from  old  age  or  natural  causes,  from  those 
affected  by  the  cold. 


348  WINTERING   BEES. 

escapes,  it  should  be  raised  a  very  little ;  otherwise  not. 
The  moisture  will  condense  on  the  sides  and  top,  when 
it  melts  will  follow  the  sides  to  the  bottom,  and  pass 
out ;  the  rabbeting  around  the  top  of  the  hive  will 
prevent  its  getting  to  the  holes,  and  down  among  the 
bees.  It  will  be  easily  comprehended,  that  a  hole  be- 
tween each  two  combs  at  the  top,  (as  mentioned  in  the 
subject  of  putting  on  the  boxes,)  will  ventilate  the  hive 
much  better  than  where  there  is  but  one  or  two,  or 
where  there  is  a  row  of  several,  and  all  are  between 
two  combs. 

BUT  LITTLE    RISK  WITH    GOOD    STOCKS. 

All  good  stocks  may  be  wintered  in  this  way,  with 
but  little  risk  in  most  situations.  Whether  in  the 
bleak  north- wind,  buried  in  a  snow-bank,  or  situated 
warm  and  pleasant,  it  will  make  no  great  difference. 
The  mice  cannot  enter ;  the  holes  give  them  air,  and 
carry  off  moisture,  &c.  But  second-rate  stocks  are  not 
equally  safe  in  cold  situations. 

EFFECT  OF  KEEPING  SECOXD-RATE  STOCKS  OUT  OF  THE  SUN. 

It  has  been  strongly  urged,  without  regard  to  the 
strength  of  the  stock,  to  keep  them  all  out  of  the  sun ; 
because  an  occasional  warm  day  would  call  out  the 
bees,  when  they  get  on  the  snow,  and  perish  ;  this  is 
a  loss,  to  be  sure,  but  there  is  such  a  thing  as  inducing 
a  greater  one  by  endeavoring  to  avoid  this.  I  have 
said  in  another  place  that  second-rate  or  poor  stocks 
might  occasionally  starve,  with  plenty  of  stores  in  the 
hive,  on  account  of  frosty  combs.  If  the  hive  is  kept 
from  the  sun,  in  the  cold,  the  periods  of  temperate 


WINTERING   BEES.  849 

weather  might  not  occur  as  often,  as  the  bees  would 
exhaust  the  honey  within  their  circle  or  cluster.  But 
on  the  contrary,  when  the  sun  can  strike  the  hive,  it 
warms  up  the  bees,  and  melts  the  frost  more  frequently. 
The  bees  may  then  go  among  their  stores  and  obtain 
a  supply,  generally,  as  often  as  needed.  "We  seldom 
have  a  winter  without  sunny  days  enough  for  this 
purpose ;  but  should  such  an  one  occur,  stocks  of  this 
class  should  be  brought  into  a  warm  room,  once  in  four 
or  five  days,  for  a  few  hours  at  a  time,  to  give  them  a 
chance  to  get  at  the  honey.  Stocks  much  below  sec- 
ond-rate cannot  be  wintered  successfully  in  this  cli- 
mate; the  only  place  for  them  is  the  warm  room.  I 
have  known  bees  thoroughly  covered  in  a  snow-drift, 
and  their  owner  was  at  considerable  trouble  to  shovel 
the  snow  away,  fearing  it  would  smother  them.  This 
is  unnecessary,  when  protected  from  the  mice  and  ven- 
tilated as  just  directed  ;  a  snow-bank  is  about  as  com- 
fortable a  place  as  they  can  have,  except  in  the  house. 
When  examined  a  short  time  after  beins;  so  covered, 
the  snow  for  a  space  of  about  four  inches  on  every 
side  of  the  hive  is  found  melted,  and  none  but  quite 
poor  stocks  would  be  likely  to  suffer  with  this  protec- 
tion. A  little  snow  around  the  bottom,  without  a  vent 
in  the  side  of  the  hive,  might  smother  them. 

EFFECTS    OF    SNOW    CONSIDERED. 

As  for  bees  getting  on  the  snow,  I  apprehend  that 
not  many  more  are  lost  there,  than  on  the  frozen  earth ; 
that  is,  in  the  same  kind  of  weather.  I  have  seen  them 
chilled,  and  lost  on  the  ground  by  hundreds,  when  a 


S50  WINTERING   BEES. 

casual  observer  would  not  have  noticed  them ;  whereas, 
had  they  been  on  the  snow,  at  the  distance  of  several 
rods,  every  bee  would  have  been  conspicuous.  Snow 
is  not  to  be  dreaded  as  much  as  chilly  air.  Suppose 
a  hive  stands  in  the  sun  throughout  the  winter,  and 
bees  are  allowed  to  leave  when  they  choose,  and  a  por- 
tion are  lost  on  the  snow,  and  that  it  was  possible  to 
number  all  that  were  lost  by  getting  chilled,  through- 
out the  season,  on  the  bare  earth — the  proportion  (in 
my  opinion)  lost  on  the  snow  would  not  be  one  in 
twenty.  A  person  that  has  not  closely  observed  dur- 
ing damp  or  chilly  weather,  in  April,  May,  or  even 
the  summer  months,  has  no  adequate  conception  of 
the  number.  Yet,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood 
that  it  is  of  no  consequence  what  are  lost  on  the  snow, 
by  any  means.  On  the  contrary,  a  great  many  are 
lost,  that  might  be  saved  with  proper  care.  But  I 
would  like  to  impress  the  fact,  that  frozen  earth  is  not 
safe  without  warm  air,  any  more  than  snow,  when 
crusted,  or  a  little  hard.  Even  when  snow  is  melting,' 
it  is  solid  footing  for  a  bee  ;  they  can  and  do  rise  from 
it,  with  the  same  ease  as  from  the  earth.  Bees  that 
perish  on  snow  in  these  circumstances,  would  be  likely 
to  be  lost  if  there  was  none. 

STOCKS    TO    BE  PROTECTED    ON  SOME    OCCASIONS. 

The  worst  time  for  them  to  leave  the  hive  is  imme- 
diately after  a  new  snow  has  fallen,  because  if  they 
light  on  it  then,  it  does  not  sustain  their  weight ;  and 
they  soon  work  themselves  down  out  of  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  and  perish.     Should  it  clear  off  pleasant,  after 


WINTEEING   BEES.  SSI 

a  storm  of  this  kind,  a  little  attention  will  probably 
be  remunerated.  Also,  when  the  weather  is  moder- 
ately warm,  and  not  sufficiently  so  to  be  safe,  they 
should  be  kept  in,  whether  snow  is  on  the  ground  or 
otherwise. 

For  this  purpose,  a  wide  board  should  be  set  up  be- 
fore the  hive  to  protect  it  from  the  sun,  at  least  above 
the  entrance  in  the  side.  But  if  it  grows  sufficiently 
warm  so  that  bees  leave  the  hive  when  so  shaded,  it 
is  a  fair  test  by  which  to  tell  when  it  will  do  to  let 
them  have  a  good  chance  to  sally  out  freely,  except  in 
cases  of  a  new  snow,  when  it  is  advisable  to  confine 
them  to  the  hive.  The  hive  might  be  let  down  on  the 
floor-board,  and  the  wire-cloth  cover  the  passage  in 
the  side,  and  made  dark  for  the  present ;  raising  the 
hive  at  night  again,  as  before.  I  have  known  hundreds 
of  stocks  wintered  successfully  without  any  such  care 
being  taken,  and  the  bees  allowed  to  come  out  when- 
ever they  chose  to  do  so.  Their  subsequent  health 
and  prosperity  proving  that  it  is  not  altogether  ruin- 
ous. It  has  been  recommended  to  enclose  the  whole 
hive  by  a  large  box  set  over  it,  and  made  perfectly 
dark,  with  means  for  ventilation,  &c.  {A  snow-bank 
would  answer  equally  well,  if  not  better.)  For  large 
families  it  would  do  well  enough,  as  would  also  other 
methods.  But  I  would  much  rather  take  the  chances 
of  letting  them  all  stand  in  the  sun,  and  issue  as  they 
please,  than  to  have  the  warmth  of  the  sun  entirely 
excluded  from  the  moderate-sized  families.  I  nevei 
knew  a  whole  stock  lost  by  this  cause  alone.*     Yet,  ] 

*  Vide  other  causes  of  loss,  a  few  pages  back. 


852  WINTERING   BEES. 

have  known  a  great  many  starved,  merely  because 
the  sun  was  not  allowed  to  melt  the  frost  on  the  combs, 
and  give  them  a  chance  to  get  at  their  stores. 

DO  THE  BEES  EAT  MORE  WHEN  ALLOWED  TO  COME  OUT  OCCASION- 
ALLY IN  WINTER  ? 

Besides  the  loss  of  bees  on  the  snow  when  standing 
in  the  sun,  and  taking  an  airing  occasionally,  there 
are  some  economical  bee-keepers  who  urge  this  disad- 
vantage, "  that  every  time  bees  come  out  in  winter 
they  discharge  their  excrement,  and  eat  more  honey 
in  consequence  of  the  vacant  room."  What  a  ridicu- 
lous absurdity  it  would  be  to  apply  this  principle  to  the 
horse,  whose  health,  strength,  and  vital  heat  is  sustain- 
ed by  the  assimilation  of  food !  and  the  farmer  is  not 
to  be  found  who  would  think  of  saving  his  provender 
by  the  same  means.  That  bees  are  supported  in  cold 
weather  on  the  same  principle  is  indicated  strongly,  if 
not  conclusively. 

Is  it  not  better  (if  what  has  been  said  on  the  subject 
of  wintering  bees  is  correct)  to  keep  our  bees  warm 
and  comfortable  when  practicable,  as  a  means  of  saving 
honey  ? 

To  winter  bees  in  the  best  manner,  considerable 
care  is  required.  Whenever  you  are  disposed  to  neg- 
lect them,  you  should  bear  in  mind  that  one  early 
swarm  is  worth  two  late  ones ;  their  condition  in 
spring  will  often  decide  this  point.  Like  a  team  of 
cattle  or  horses  when  well  wintered,  they  are  ready 
for  a  good  season's  work,  but  when  poorly  wintered 
have  to  recruit  a  long  time  before  they  are  worth 
much. 


SAGACITY   OF  BEES.  353 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

SAGACITY  OF  BEES. 
ARE  NOT  BEES    DIRECTED  ALONE    BY  INSTINCT  1 

On  this  subject  I  have  but  little  to  say,  as  I  have 
failed  to  discover  anything  uncommonly  remarkable, 
separate  and  distinct  in  one  swarm,  that  another 
would  not  exhibit.  I  have  found  one  swarm  guided 
alone  by  instinct,  doing  just  what  another  would  un- 
der the  same  circumstances. 

Writers,  not  contented  with  the  astonishing  results 
of  instinct,  with  their  love  of  the  marvellous,  must  add 
a  good  share  of  reason  to  their  other  faculties, — "  an. 
adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  that  reason  alone  could 
produce."'  It  is  very  true,  Avithout  close  inspection, 
and  comparing  the  results  of  different  swarms  in  sim- 
ilar cases,  one  might  arrive  at  such  conclusion.  It  is 
difficult,  as  all  will  admit,  "  to  tell  where  instinct  ends, 
and  reason  begins."  Instances  of  sagacity,  like  the 
following,  have  been  mentioned.  "  When  the  weather 
is  warm,  and  the  heat  inside  is  somewhat  oppressive,  a 
number  of  bees  may  be  seen  stationed  around  the  en- 
trance, vibrating  their  wings.  Those  inside  will  turn 
their  heads  towards  the  passage,  while  those  outside 
will  turn  theirs  the  other  way.  A  constant  agitation 
of  air  is  thus  created,  thereby  ventilating  the  hive  more 
effectually."     All  full  stocks  do  this  in  hot  weather. 

WHAT  THEY    DO  WITH    PROPOLIS. 

"A  snail  had  entered  the  hive  and  fixed  itself 
against  the  glass  side.     The  bees,  unable  to  penetrate 


854  SAGACITY   OF  BEES. 

it  with  their  stings,  the  cunning  economists  fixed  it 
immovably,  by  cementing  merely  the  edge  of  the  ori- 
fice of  the  shell  to  the  glass  with  resin,  (propolis),  and 
thus  it  became  a  prisoner  for  life."  Now  the  instinct 
that  prompts  the  gathering  of  propolis  in  August,  and 
filling  every  crack,  flaw,  or  inequality  about  the 
hive,  would  cement  the  edges  of  the  snail-shell  to  the 
glass,  and  a  -email  stone,  block  of  wood,  chip,  or  any 
substance  that  they  are  unable  to  remove,  would  be 
fastened  with  it  in  the  same  manner.  The  edges  or 
bottom  of  the  hive,  when  in  close  proximity  to  the 
bottom,  is  joined  to  it  with  this  substance.  Whatever 
the  obstacle  may  be,  it  is  pretty  sure  to  receive  a 
coating  of  this.  The  stoppers  for  the  holes  at  the  top 
are  held  in  their  places  on  the  same  principle ;  and 
the  unaccountable  sagacity  that  once  fastened  a  little 
door,  might  possibly  be  nothing  more  than  the  same 
instinct. 

Another  principle,  I  think,  will  be  found  to  be  uni- 
versal with  them,  instead  of  sagacious  reasoning. 

Whenever  the  combs  in  a  hive  have  been  broken, 
or  when  combs  have  been  added,  as  was  mentioned  in 
the  chapter  on  fall  management,  the  first  duty  of  the 
bees  appears  to  be  to  fasten  them  as  they  are ;  when 
the  edges  are  near  the  side  of  the  hive,  or  two  combs 
in  contact,  a  portion  of  wax  is  detached  and  used  for 
joining  them  together,  or  to  the  side. 

MENDING  BROKEN  COMBS. 

Where  two  combs  do  not  touch,  and  yet  are  close 
together,  a  small  bar  is  constructec  from  one  to  the 


SAGACITY  OF  BEES.  355 

other,  preventing  any  nearer  approach.  (This  may 
be  illustrated  by  turning  the  hive  a  few  inches  from 
the  perpendicular  after  being  filled  with  combs  in 
warm  weather.) 

MAKINa  PASSAGES  TO  EVERY  PART    OF    THEIR    COMBS. 

Should  nearly  all  the  combs  in  the  hive  become  de- 
tached from  any  cause,  and  lie  on  the  bottom  in  one 
"  grand  smash  of  ruin,"  their  first  steps  are,  as  just  de- 
scribed, pillars  from  one  to  the  other  to  keep  them  as 
they  are.  In  a  few  days,  in  warm  weather,  they  will 
have  made  passages  by  biting  away  combs  where  they 
are  in  contact,  throughout  every  part  of  the  mass ; 
little  columns  of  wax  below,  supporting  the  combs 
above, — irregular,  to  be  sure,  but  as  well  as  circum- 
stances admit.  Not  a  single  piece  can  be  removed 
without  breaking  it  from  the  others,  and  the  whole 
will  be  firmly  cemented  together.  A  piece  of  comb 
filled  with  honey,  and  sealed  up,  may  be  put  in  a  glass 
box  with  the  ends  of  these  cells  so  sealed,  touching 
the  glass.  The  principle  of  allowing  no  part  of  their 
tenement  to  be  in  a  situation  inaccessible,  is  soon  man- 
ifested. They  immediately  bite  off  the  ends  of  the 
cells,  remove  the  honey  that  is  in  the  way,  and  make 
a  passage  next  to  the  glass,  leaving  a  few  bars  from  it 
to  the  comb,  to  steady  and  keep  it  in  its  position.  A 
single  sheet  of  comb  lying  flat  on  the  bottom-board  of 
a  populous  swarm  is  cut  away  under  side,  for  a  pas- 
sage in  every  direction,  numerous  little  pillars  of  wax 
being  left  for  its  support.  How  any  person  in  the 
habit  of  watching  their  proceedings,  with   any  degree 


356  SAGACITY   OF  BEES. 

of  attention,  could  come  at  the  conclusion  that  the 
bees  raised  such  comb  by  mechanical  means  and  then 
put  under  the  props  for  its  support,  is  somewhat  sin- 
gular. Their  efforts  united  for  such  a  parpose  like 
reasonable  beings,  I  never  witnessed. 

These  things,  considered  as  the  effect  of  instinct,  are 
none  the  less  wonderful  on  that  account.  I  am  not 
sure  but  the  display  of  wisdom  is  even  greater  than  if 
the  power  of  planning  their  own  operations  had  been 
given  them. 

I  have  mentioned  these,  to  show  that  a  course  of 
action  called  forth  by  the  peculiar  situation  of  one 
family,  would  be  copied  b}'  another  in  a  similar  emer- 
gency, without  being  aware  of  its  ever  being  done 
before.  Were  I  engaged  in  a  work  of  fiction,  I  might 
let  fancy  reign  and  endeavor  to  amuse,  but  this  is  not 
the  object.  Let  us  endeavor  then  to  be  content  with 
truth,  and  not  murmur  with  its  reality.  When  we 
take  a  survey  of  the  astonishing  regularity  with  which 
they  construct  their  combs  without  a  teacher,  and 
remember  that  the  waxen  material  is  formed  in  the 
rings  of  their  body,  that  for  the  first  time  in  life, 
without  an  experienced  leader's  direction,  they  apply 
a  claw  to  detach  it,  that  they  go  forth  to  the  fields 
and  gather  stores  unbidden  by  a  tyrant's  mandate, 
and  throughout  the  whole  cycle  of  their  operations, 
one  law  and  power  governs.  Whoever  would  seek 
mind  as  the  directing  power,  must  look  beyond  the 
censorium  of  the  bee  for  the  source  of  all  we  behold 
in  them ! 


STRAINING  HONEY.  367 

CHAPTEE    XXIV. 

STRAINING    HONEY    AND    WAX. 

When  about  to  remove  the  contents  of  a  hive,  I 
have  never  found  it  necessary  to  use  all  the  precau- 
tions often  recommended  to  prevent  the  access  of  bees. 
I  have  seen  it  stated  that  a  room  in  which  there  was  a 
chimney  open,  would  be  unsuitable,  as  the  bees  would 
scent  the  honey,  and  thus  find  their  way  down  into 
the  room.  I  never  was  thus  troubled  by  their  per- 
pendicular travelling.  It  is  true,  if  the  day  was  warm, 
and  a  door  or  window  was  standing  open,  the  bees 
would  find  their  way  in  during  a  scarcity  of  honey. 
But  with  doors  and  windows  closed  no  difficulty  need 
be  apprehended. 

METHODS    OF    REMOVING    COMBS    FROM    THE    HIVE. 

The  most  convenient  way  to  remove  combs  from 
the  hive  is  to  take  off  one  of  its  sides,  but  this  is  apt 
to  split  the  boards,  if  it  was  properly  nailed,  and  injure 
it  for  subsequent  use.  With  tools  such  as  have  been 
described,  it  may  be  done  very  nicely,  and  leave  the 
hive  whole.  The  chisel  should  have  the  bevel  all  on 
one  side,  like  those  used  by  carpenters.  When  you 
commence,  turn  the  flat  side  next  the  board  of  the 
hive,  and  the  bevel  crowded  by  the  combs  will  follow 
it  close  the  whole  length  ;  with  the  other  tool  they 
are  cut  across  the  top,  and  readily  lifted  out.  If  pre- 
ferred, they  may  be  cut  across  near  the  centre  and 
take  out  half  a  sheet  at  a  time ;  this  is  sometimes 
necessary  on  account  of  the  cross-sticks. 


358  STRAINING  HONEY. 

DIFFERENT   METHODS    OF    STRAINING    HONEY. 

Such  combs  as  are  taken  from  the  middle  or  vi- 
cinity of  brood-cells,  are  generally  unfit  for  the  table ; 
such  should  be  strained.  There  are  several  methods 
of  doing  it.  One  is,  to  mash  the  comb  and  put  it  in 
a  bag,  and  hang  it  over  some  vessel  to  catch  the  honey 
as  it  drains  out.  This  will  do  very  well  for  small 
quantities  in  warm  weather,  or  in  the  fall  before  there 
is  any  of  it  candied.  Another  method  is  to  put  such 
combs  into  a  colander,  and  set  this  over  a  pan,  and 
introduce  it  into  an  oven  after  the  bread  is  out.  This 
melts  the  combs.  The  honey  and  a  portion  of  the 
wax  run  out  together.  The  wax  rises  to  the  top  and 
cools  in  a  cake.  It  is  somewhat  liable  to  burn,  and 
requires  some  care.  Many  prefer  this  method,  as 
there  is  less  taste  of  bee-bread,  no  cells  containing  it 
being  disturbed,  but  all  the  honey  is  not  certain  to 
drain  out  without  stirring  it.  If  disposed,  two  quali- 
ties may  be  made,  by  keeping  the  first  separate. 
Another  method  is  merely  to  break  the  combs  finely, 
and  put  them  into  a  colander,  and  allow  the  honey  to 
drain  out  without  much  heat,  and  afterwards  skim  off 
the  small  particles  that  rise  to  the  top,  or  when  very 
particular,  pass  the  honey  through  a  cloth,  or  piece  of 
lace.  But  for  large  quantities,  a  more  expeditious 
mode  is  to  have  a  can  and  strainer,  made  for  the  pur- 
pose, where  fifty  pounds  or  more  can  be  worked  on* 
at  once.  The  can  is  made  of  tin,  twelve  or  fourteen 
inches  deep,  by  about  ten  or  twelve  diameter,  with 
handles  on  each  side  at  the  top,  for  lifting  it.  The 
strainer  is  just  enough  smaller  to  go  down  inside  the 


STRAINING   HONEY,  359 

can ;  the  height  may  be  considerably  less,  providing 
there  are  handles  on  each  side  to  pass  out  at  the  top ; 
the  bottom  is  perforated  with  holes  like  a  colander, 
combs  are  put  into  this,   and  the  whole  set  into  a 
kettle  of  boiling  water,  and  heated  without  any  sisk 
of  burning,  until  all  the  wax  is  melted,  (which  may 
be  ascertained  by  st'irring  it,)  when  it  may  be  taken 
out.     All  the  wax,  bee-bread,  &c.,  will  rise  in  a  few 
minutes.     The  strainer  can  now  be  raised  out  of  the 
top  and  set  on  a  frame  for  the  purpose,  or  by  merely 
tipping  it  slightly  on  one  side  it  will  rest  on  the  top 
of  the  can.     It  might  be  left  to  cool  before  raising  the 
strainer,  were  it  not  liable  to  stick  to  the  sides  of  the 
can ;  the  honey  would  be  full  as  pure,  and  separate 
nearly  as   clean   from   the   wax   and  bee-bread,   &c. 
When  raised  out  before  cooling,  the  contents  should 
be  repeatedly  stirred,  or  considerable  honey  will  re- 
main.    Two  qualities  may  be  made  by  keeping  the 
first  that  runs   through  separate  from  the  last,   (as 
stirring  it  works  out  the  bee-bread).     Even  a  third 
quality  may  be  obtained  by  adding  a  little  water,  and 
repeating  the  process.     This  is  worth  but  little.     By 
boiling  out  the  water,  without  burning,  and  removing 
the  scum,  it  will  do  to  feed  bees.     By  adding  water 
until  it  will  just  bear  a  potato,  boiling  and  skimming, 
and  letting  it  ferment,  it  will  make  metheglin,  or  by 
letting  the  fermentation  proceed  it  will  make  vinegar. 
Honey  that   has   been   heated  thoroughly,    will  not 
candy  as  readily  as  when  strained  without  heat.     A 
Httle  water  may  be  added  to  prevent  its  getting  too 
hard;  but  should  it  get  so  in  cold  weather,  it  can  at 


360  STRAINING  HONEY. 

any  time  be  warmed,  and  water  added  until  it  is   of 
the  right  consistence. 

GETTING    OUT    WAX DIFFEREKT    METHODS. 

Several  methods  have  been  adopted  for  separating 
the  wax.  I  never  found  any  means  of  getting  out  the 
whole.  Yet  I  suppose  I  came  as  near  it  as  any  one. 
Some  recommend  heating  it  in  an  oven,  similar  to  the 
method  of  straining  honey  through  the  colander,  but 
I  have  found,  it  to  waste  more  than  when  melted  with 
water.  A  better  way  for  small  quantities,  is  to  half 
fill  a  coarse  stout  bag  with  refuse  comb  and  a  few 
cobble-stones  to  sink  it,  and  boil  it  in  a  kettle  of 
water,  pressing  and  turning  it  frequently  till  the  wax 
ceases  to  rise.  When  the  contents  of  the  bag  are 
emptied,  by  squeezing  a  handful,  the  particles  of  wax 
may  be  seen,  and  3-ou  may  thereby  judge  of  the 
quantity  thrown  away.  For  large  quantities  the  fore- 
going process  is  rather  tedious.  It  can  be  facilitated 
by  having  two  levers  four  or  five  feet  long  and  about 
four  inches  wide,  and  fastened  at  the  lower  end  b}^  a 
strong  hinge.  The  combs  are  put  into  a  kettle  of 
boiling  water,  and  will  melt  almost  immediately  ;  it  is 
then  put  into  the  bag,  and  taken  between  the  levers 
in  a  wash-tub  or  other  large  vessel  and  pressed,  the 
contents  of  the  bag  shaken,  and  turned,  several  times 
during  the  process,  and  if  need  be  returned  to  the 
boiling  water  and  squeezed  again.  The  wax,  with  a 
little  water,  is  now  to  be  remelted  and  strained  again 
through  finer  cloth,  into  vessels  that  will  mould  it 
into   the  desired  shape.     As  the  sediment  settles  to 


PURCHASING  STOCKS.  361 

the  bottom  of  tlie  wax  when  melted,  a  portion  may 
be  dipped  off  nearly  pure  without  straining. 

Wax  in  cool  weather  may  be  whitened  in  a  short 
time  in  the  sun,  but  it  must  be  in  veiy  thin  flakes ;  it 
is  readil}'  obtained  in  this  shape  by  having  a  very  thin 
board  or  shingle,  which  should  be  first  thoroughly 
wet,  and  then  dipped  into  pure  melted  wax  ;  enough 
will  adhere  to  make  it  the  desired  thickness,  and  will 
cool  instantly  on  being  withdrawn.  Draw  a  knife 
along  the  edges,  and  it  will  readily  cleave  off.  Ex- 
posed to  the  sun  in  a  window  or  on  the  snow,  it  will 
become  perfectly  white,  when  it  can  be  made  into 
cakes  for  market,  where  it  commands  a  m«ch  higher 
price  than  the  yellow.  It  is  said  there  is  a  chemical 
process  that  whitens  it  readily,  but  I  am  not  acquaint- 
ed with  it. 


CHAPTEE    XXV. 

PURCHASING   STOCKS   AND   TRANSPORTING   BEES. 

If  the  reader  has  no  bees,  and  yet  has  had  interest 
or  patience  to  follow  me  thus  far,  it  is  presumptive 
evidence  that  he  would  possess  the  requisite  perse- 
verance to  take  charge  of  them.  It  would  be  well, 
however,  to  remember  the  anxieties,  perplexities,  and 
time  necessary  to  take  the  proper  care,  as  well  as  the 
advantages  and  profit. 

But  if  you  are  disposed   to   try   the   experiment, 
very   likely   some   directions    for   a   commencement 
would  be  acceptable. 
16 


862  PURCHASING  STOCKS. 

"WHY   THE    WORD    LUCK    IS    APPLIED    TO    BEES, 

There  has  been  so  much  uncertainty  in  stock  of  this 
kind,  that  the  word  luck  has  been  made  to  express  too 
much.  Some  have  been  successful,  while  others  have 
failed  entirely;  this  has  suggested  the  idea  i\idX  luck 
depended  on  the  manner  that  the  stocks  were  obtain- 
ed ;  and  here  again  there  seems  to  be  a  variety  of 
opinions,  as  is  the  case  always,  when  a  thing  is  guessed 
at.  One  will  assert  that  the  "  fickle  dame"  is  charmed 
into  favor  by  stealing  a  stock  or  two  to  begin  with, 
and  returning  them  after  a  start.  Another,  (a  little 
more  conscientious,  perhajis)  that  you  must  take  them 
without  liberty^  to  be  sure,  but  leave  an  equivalent  in 
money  on  the  stand.  Another,  that  the  only  way  to 
get  up  an  effectual  charm,  is  to  exchange  sheep  for 
them  ;  and  still  another  says,  that  hees  must  always  he  a 
gift.  I  have  had  all  these  methods  ofi'ered  me  gratis, 
with  gravity,  suitable  to  make  an  impression.  And, 
finally,  there  has  yet  another  method  been  found  out, 
and  that  is,  when  you  want  a  few  stocks  of  bees  go 
and  buy  them,  yes,  and  pay  for  them  too,  in  dollars 
and  cents,  or  take  them  for  a  share  of  the  increase  for 
a  time,  if  it  suits  your  pecuniary  resources  best.  And 
you  need  not  depend  on  any  charm  or  mystic  power 
for  your  success — if  you  do,  I  cannot  avoid  the  un- 
favorable prediction  of  a  failure.  It  is  true  that  a  few 
have  accidentally  prospered  for  a  few  years  ;  I  say  acci 
dentally,  because  when  they  have  no  true  principles  of 
management,  ii  must  be  the  result  of  accident.  It  is 
a  saying  with  some,  that  "  one  man  can't  have  luck 
but  few  years  at  once,"  and  others  none  at  all,  although 


PURCHASING  STOCKS.  363 

he  tries  the  whole  routine  of  charms.  Nearly  twenty- 
years  ago,  when  my  respected  neighbor  predicted  a 
"  turn  in  my  luck,  because  it  was  always  so,"  I  could 
not  understand  the  force  of  this  reasoning,  unless  it 
belonged  to  the  nature  of  bees  to  deteriorate,  and  con- 
sequently run  out.  I  at  once  determined  to  ascertain 
this  point.  I  could  understand  how  a  farmer  would 
often  fail  to  raise  a  crop,  if  he  depended  on  chance  or 
luck  for  success,  instead  of  fixed  natural  principles. 
It  was  possible  that  bees  might  be  similar.  I  found 
that  in  good  seasons  the  majority  of  people  had  luck, 
but  in  poor  seasons,  the  reverse,  and  when  two  or 
three  occurred  in  succession,  then  was  the  time  to  lose 
their  luck.  It  was  evident,  then,  if  I  could  pass  in 
safety  the  poor  seasons  by  any  means,  I  should  do  well 
enough  in  good  ones.*  The  result  has  given  me  but 
little  reason  to  complain.  My  advice  therefore  is, 
that  reliance  should  be  placed  on  proper  management, 
instead  of  luck,  arising  from  the  manner  the  first 
stock  was  obtained.  Should  any  one  feel  disposed  to 
make  you  a  present  of  a  stock  or  two  of  bees,  I  would 
advise  you  to  accept  the  offer  and  be  thankful,  dis- 
carding all  apprehension  of  a  failure  on  that  account. 
Or  if  any  one  is  willing  you  should  take  some  on 
shares,  this  is  a  cheap  way  to  get  a  start,  and  you  have 
no  risk  of  loss  in  the  old  stock.  Yet  if  bees  prosper, 
the  interest  on  the  money  that  stocks  cost  is  a  mere 
trifle  in  comparison  to  the  value  of  increase,  and  you 
have  the  same  trouble.    On  the  other  hand,  the  owner 

*  There  are  sections  of  country  where  the  difference  in  seasons  ia 
less  than  in  this. 


364  PURCHASIXG   STOCKS, 

of  bees  can  afford  to  take  care  of  a  few  hives  more, 
for  half  the  profits,  which  he  has  to  give  if  another 
takes  them  ;  this  is  apt  to  be  the  case,  especially,  with 
such  as  have  no  faith  in  charms. 

RULE    IN    TAKING    BEES    FOR    A    SHARE. 

The  rule  generally  adopted  for  taking  bees  is  this. 
One  or  more  stocks  are  taken  for  a  term  of  years,  the 
person  taking  them  finding  hives,  boxes,  and  bestow- 
ing whatsoever  care  is  necessary,  and  returning  the 
old  stocks  to  the  owner  with  half  the  increase  and 
profits. 

A    MAN    MAY    SELL    HIS    "  LUCK." 

There  are  yet  a  few  persons  who  refuse  to  sell  a 
stock  of  bees,  because  it  is  "  bad  luck."  There  is 
often  some  grounds  for  this  notion.  It  might  arise 
under  the  following  circumstances.  Suppose  a  person 
has  a  half  dozen  hives,  three  extra  good,  the  others 
of  the  opposite  extreme.  He  sells  for  the  sake  of  the 
better  price  his  three  best ;  there  is  but  little  doubt  but 
his  best  "luck"  would  go  too  !  But  should  his  poor- 
est be  taken,  the  result  would  be  different,  without 
doubt. 

But  there  are  cases  where  an  apiarian  has  more 
stocks  than  he  wishes  to  keep.  (It  has  been  the  case 
with  myself  frequently.)  Persons  wishing  to  sell,  are 
the  proper  ones  of  which  to  buy.  Purchasers  seldom 
want  any  but  first-rate  stocks,  they  are  generally 
cheapest  in  the  end.  There  is  usually  a  difference  of 
about  a  dollar  in  the  spring  and  fall  prices,  and  five 
and  six  dollars  are  common  charges.     I  have  known 


PURCHASING  STOCKS.  865 

them  sell  at  auction  at  eight,   but  in  some  sections 
they  are  less. 

FIRST-RATE    STOCKS     RECOMMENDED    TO    BEGIX    WITH. 

For  a  beginning  then,  I  would  recommend  purchas- 
ing none  but  first-rate  stocks ;  it  will  make  but  little 
difference  in  the  risk,  whether  you  obtain  them  in  the 
spring,  or  fall,  if  you  have  read  my  remarks  on  winter 
management  with  attention  ;  I  have  already  said  the 
requisites  for  a  good  stock  for  winter,  were  a  numer- 
ous family  and  plenty  of  honey,  and  that  the  plaster 
of  bees  should  extend  through  nearly  all  the  combs, 
&c.  To  avoid  as  far  as  possible  diseased  brood,  find 
an  apiary  where  it  has  never  made  its  appearance,  to 
make  purchases.  There  are  some  who  have  lost  bees 
by  it,  and  yet  are  totally  ignorant  of  the  cause.  It 
would  be  well,  therefore,  to  inquire  if  any  stocks  have 
been  lost,  and  then  for  the  cause — be  careful  that  sec- 
ondary are  not  mistaken  for  primary  causes, 

OLD    STOCKS    ARE    GOOD    AS    ANY,  IF    HEALTHY. 

When  it  appears  that  all  are  exempt,  (by  a  thorough 
examination,  if  not  satisfied  without,)  you  need  not 
object  to  stocks  two  or  three  years  old;  they  are  just 
as  good  as  any,  sometimes  better,  (providing  they  have 
swarmed  the  season  previous,  according  to  one  author ; 
because  such  always  have  young  queens,  which  are 
more  prolific  than  old  ones,  that  will  be  in  all  first 
swarms). 

Old  stocks  are  as  prosperous  as  any,  as  long  as  they 
are  healthy,  yet  they  are  more  liable  to  become  dis- 
eased. 


366  PURCHASING    STOCKS. 

CAUTION    RESPECTING    DISEASED    BROOD. 

When  no  apiary  from  whicli  to  purchase  can  be  found, 
but  where  the  disease  has  made  its  appearance,  and 
you  are  necessitated  to  purchase  from  such,  or  not  at 
all,  you  cannot  be  too  cautious  about  it.  It  would  be 
safest  in  this  case  to  take  none  but  young  swarms,  as 
it  is  not  so  common  for  them  to  be  affected  the  first 
season,  yet  they  are  not  alvvaj's  exempt.  But  here, 
again,  you  may  not  be  allowed  to  take  all  j'oung  stocks ; 
in  which  case  let  the  weather  be  pretty  cold,  the  bees 
will  be  further  up  among  the  combs,  and  give  a  chance 
to  inspect  the  combs.  At  this  season,  say  not  earlier 
than  November,  all  the  healthy  brood  will  be  hatched. 
Sometimes,  a  few  young  bees  may  be  left  that  have 
their  mature  shape,  and  probably  had  been  chilled 
by  sudden  cold  weather — these  are  not  the  result  of 
disease,  the  bees  will  remove  them  the  next  season, 
and  no  bad  results  follow.  In  warm  weather  a  satis- 
factory inspection  can  be  had  no  other  way,  but  by 
the  use  of  tobacco  smoke.  Be  particular  to  reject  all 
that  are  affected  with  the  disease  in  the  least ;  better 
do  without,  than  take  such  to  begin  with.  (A  full 
description  has  been  given  of  this  disease  in  another 
place.) 

RESULT  OF    IGNORANCE    IN    PURCHASING. 

A  neighbor  purchased  thirteen  stock-hives ;  six  were 
old  ones,  the  others  swarms  of  the  last  season.  As 
the  old  hives  were  heavy,  he  of  course  thought  them 
good  ;  either  he  knew  nothing  of  the  disease,  or  took 
no  trouble  to  examine  ;  five  of  the  six  old  ones  were 
badly  affected.     Four  were  lost  outright,  except  the 


PURCHASING   STOCKS.  367 

honey ;  the  fifth  lasted  through  the  winter,  and  then 
had  to  be  transferred.  He  had  flattered  himself  that 
they  were  obtained  very  cheaply,  but  when  he  made 
out  what  his  good  ones  cost,  he  found  no  great  reason, 
in  this  respect,  for  congratulation. 

SIZES  OF  HIVES  IMPORTANT. 

Another  point  is  worthy  of  consideration  :  endeavor 
to  get  hives  as  near  the  right  size  as  possible,  viz.^ 
2,000  cubic  inches ;  better  too  large  than  too  small. 
If  too  large,  they  may  be  cut  oif,  leaving  them  the 
proper  size.  But  yet,  it  often  makes  an  ungainly 
shape,  being  too  large  square  for  the  height.  As  the 
shape  probably  makes  no  difference  in  the  prosperity 
of  the  bees,  the  appearance  is  the  principal  objection, 
after  being  cut  off. 

An  acquaintance  had  purchased  a  lot  of  bees  in 
very  large  hives,  and  called  on  me  to  know  what  to 
do  with  them,  as  he  feared  such  would  not  swarm 
well  in  consequence  ;  I  told  him  it  would  be  doubtful, 
unless  he  cut  them  off  to  the  right  size. 

"  Cut  'em  off!  how  can  that  be  done  ?  there  is  bees 
in  'em." 

"  So  I  expected,  but  it  can  be  done  nearly  as  well 
as  if  empty." 

"  But  don't  you  get  stung  dreadfully  ?" 

"  Not  often :  if  it  is  to  be  done  in  warm  weather,  I 
smoke  them  well  before  I  begin  ;  in  very  cold  loeather 
is  the  best  time,  then  it  is  unnecessary ;  simply  turn 
the  hive  bottom  up,  mark  off  the  proper  size,  and 
with  a  sharp  saw  take  it  off  without  trouble,'' 


368  PURCHASING  STOCKS. 

"  Some  are  filled  with  combs ;  you  don't  cut  off  such, 
do  you  ?" 

"  Certainly ;  I  consider  all  the  room  for  combs  in  a 
hive  over  2000  inches  as  worse  than  lost." 

"What  will  you  ask  to  cut  mine  off?  If  I  could 
see  it  done  once,  I  might  do  it  next  time." 

"  The  charge  will  be  light ;  but  if  you  intend  to 
keep  bees,  you  should  learn  to  do  everything  pertain- 
ing to  them,  and  not  be  dependent  on  any  one ;  I  did 
it  before  I  ever  saw  or  heard  of  its  being  done."  I 
then  gave  him  full  directions  how  to  manage,  but 
could  not  persuade  him  to  undertake. 

HOW    LARGE    HIVES    CAN    BE    MADE    SMALLER. 

A  short  time  after,  I  attended,  on  a  cold  day,  with 
a  sharp  saw,  square,  &c.  I  found  his  hives  fourteen 
inches  square  inside,  and  eighteen  deep,  holding  about 
8500  inches.  Of  this  square,  a  little  more  than  ten 
inches  in  height,  would  make  just  the  right  size. 
To  work  convenient,  I  inverted  the  hive  on  a  barrel, 
set  on  end,  marked  the  length,  and  sawed  it  off,  Avith- 
out  a  bee  leaving.  It  was  very  cold,  (mercury  at  6 
deg.)  The  bees  came  to  the  edges  of  the  combs,  but 
the  cold  drove  them  back.  In  a  short  time  I  had  taken 
off  six;  four  when  done  were  just  about  full;  the 
other  two  were  so  when  I  began,  but  they  were  mark- 
ed and  sawed  like  the  rest ;  when  the  combs  were 
attached,  they  were  severed  with  a  knife,  and  the 
piece  of  the  liive  thus  loose,  was  raised  off,  leaving 
several  inches  of  the  combs  projecting  out  of  the  hive. 
I  now  cut  off  the  first  comb,  even  with  the  bottom  of 


TRANSPORTING  BEES.  869 

the  hive.  On  the  next  comb  there  were  a  few  bees; 
with  a  qnill  these  were  brushed  down  into  the  hive ; 
this  piece  was  then  removed,  and  the  bees  on  the 
other  side  of  it  were  brushed  down  also.  In  this  way 
all  others  were  removed,  and  left  the  hive  just  full. 
The  other  full  hive,  after  it  was  sawed  on  each  side, 
a  small  ware  w^as  drawn  through,  parallel  with  the 
sheets,  and  severed  all  the  combs  at  once  ;  each  piece 
was  taken  out,  and  the  bees  that  were  clustered  on 
them  brushed  back ;  removing  the  loose  part  of  the 
hive,  was  the  last  thing  to  be  done.  This  last  method 
was  preferred  to  the  other  by  my  employer;  yet  it  was 
all  performed  to  his  satisfaction,  no  sting  or  other  diffi- 
culty about  it,  except  the  trouble  of  warming  fingers 
rather  frequently.  Tobacco  smoke  would  have  kept 
them  quiet  during  the  operation,  nearly  as  well.  If 
preferred,  a  hive  may  stand  right  side  up  while  sawing 
it. 

MODERATE  WEATHER  BEST  TO  REMOVE  BEES. 

In  transporting  your  bees,  avoid  if  possible  the  tw^o 
extremes  of  very  cold,  or  very  warm  weather.  In  the 
latter  the  combs  are  so  nearly  melted,  that  the  weight 
of  the  honey  will  bend  them,  bursting  the  cells,  spilling 
the  honey,  aiid  besmearing  the  bees.  In  very  cold 
weather,  the  combs  are  brittle,  and  easily  detached 
from  the  sides  of  the  hive.  "When  necessitated  to 
move  them  in  very  cold  weather,  they  should  be  put 
up  an  hour  or  so  before  starting.  The  agitation  of 
the  bees  after  being  disturbed  will  create  considerable 
16* 


370  TRANSPORTING   BEES. 

heat ;  a  portion  of  this  will  be  imparted  to  the  combs, 
and  add  to  their  strength 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  TRANSPORTING  BEES. 

To  prepare  for  moving  them,  pieces  of  thin  muslin 
about  half  a  yard  square  is  as  good  as  anything,  se- 
cured by  carpet  tacks. 

SECURING    BEES    IN    THE    HIVE. 

The  liive  is  inverted,  and  the  cloth  put  over,  neatly 
folded,  and  fastened  with  a  tack  at  the  corners,  and 
another  in  the  middle.  The  tack  is  crowed  in  about 
two-thirds  of  its  length,  it  then  presents  the  head  con- 
venient to  pull  out.  If  the  bees  are  to  go  a  great 
distance,  and  require  to  be  shut  up  several  days,  the 
muslin  will  be  hardly  sufficient,  as  they  would  proba- 
bly bite  their  waj^  out.  Something  more  substantial 
would  then  be  required.  Take  a  board  the  size  of 
the  bottom,  cut  out  a  place  in  the  middle,  and  cover 
with  wire  cloth,  (like  the  one  recommended  for  hiving,) 
and  fasten  it  with  t.acks.  This  board  is  to  be  nailed 
on  the  hive.  After  the  nails  are  driven,  with  the 
hammer  start  it  off  about  the  eighth  of  an  inch ;  it 
will  admit  a  little  air  around  the  sides  as  well  as  the 
middle,  quite  necessary  for  heavy  stocks.  But  very 
small  families  might  be  safe  without  the  wire  cloth ; 
air  enough  would  pass  between  the  hive  and  board, 
except  in  warm  weather.  New  combs  break  easier 
than  old. 

BEST    CONVEYANCE, 

Probably  the   best  conveyance  is   a   wagon  with 


TRANSPORTING   BEES.  871 

elliptic  springs.  But  a  wagon  without  springs  is  bad, 
especially  for  3'oung  stocks.  Yet  I  have  known  them 
moved  safely  in  this  way,  but  it  required  some  care 
in  packing  with  hay,  or  straw,  under  and  around  them, 
and  careful  driving.  Good  sleighing  will  answer  very 
well,  and  by  some  thought  to  be  the  best  time. 

HIVE    TO    BE    INVERTED. 

Whatever  conveyance  is  employed,  the  hive  should 
be  inverted.  The  combs  will  then  all  rest  closely  on 
the  top,  and  are  less  liable  to  break  than  when  right 
end  up,  because  then  the  whole  weight  of  the  combs 
must  depend  upon  the  fastenings  at  the  top  and  sides 
for  support,  and  are  easily  detached  and  fall.  When 
moving  bees,  so  reversed,  they  will  creep  upward ;  in 
stocks  part  full,  they  will  often  nearly  all  leave  the 
combs,  and  get  upon  the  covering.  In  a  short  time 
after  being  set  up,  they  will  return,  except  in  very 
cold  weather,  when  a  few  will  sometimes  freeze  ;  con- 
sequently a  warm  room  is  required  to  put  them  in  for 
a  short  time. 

After  carrying  them  a  few  miles,  the  disposition  to 
sting  is  generally  gone,  yet  there  are  a  few  excep- 
tions. In  moderate  weather,  when  bees  are  confined, 
they  manifest  a  persevering  determination  to  find  their 
way  out,  particularly  after  being  moved,  and  some- 
what disturbed.  I  have  known  them  to  bite  holes 
through  muslin  in  three  days.  The  same  difficulty  is 
often  attendant  on  attempting  to  confine  them  to  the 
hive  by  muslin  when  in  the  house  in  the  winter, 
except  when  kept  in  a  cold  situation.     Should  any 


372  CONCLUSION. 

combs  become  broken,  or  detached  from  their  fasten- 
ings, in  hives  not  full,  hy  moving  or  other  accident, 
rendering  them  liable  to  fall  when  set  up,  the  hive 
may  remain  inverted  on  the  stand  till  warm  weather, 
if  necessary,  and  the  bees  have  again  fastened  them, 
which  they  do  soon  after  commencing  work  in  the 
spring.  If  they  are  so  badly  broken  that  they  bend 
over,  rolls  of  paper  may  be  put  between  them  to  pre- 
serve the  proper  distance  till  secured.  When  they 
commence  making  new  combs,  or  before,  it  is  time  to 
turn  the  right  end  up.  While  the  hive  is  inverted,  it 
is  essential  that  a  hole  is  in  the  side,  through  which 
the  bees  may  work.  A  board  should  fit  close  over 
the  bottom,  and  covered,  to  effectually  prevent  any 
water  from  getting  among  the  bees,  &c. 

CONCLUSION. 

In  conclusion  I  would  say,  that  the  apiarian  who 
has  followed  me  attentively,  and  has  added  nothing  of 
value  to  his  stock  of  information,  possesses  an  envia- 
ble experience  that  all  should  strive  to  obtain. 

It  has  been  said  that  "three  out  of  five  who  com- 
mence an  apiary  must  fail ; "  but  let  us  suppose  it  is 
through  ignorance  or  inattention,  and  not  inherent 
with  the  bees.  To  the  beginner  then  I  would  say, — 
if  you  expect  to  succeed  in  obtaining  one  of  the  most 
delectable  of  sweets  for  your  own  consumption,  or  the 
profit  in  dollars  and  cents,  you  will  find  something 
more  requisite  than  merely  holding  the  dish  to  obtain 
the  porridge.  "  See  your  bees  often,"  and  know 
at  all  times  their  actual  condition.     This  one  recipe  is 


CONCLUSION.  373 

■worth  more  than  all  others  that  can  be  given ;  it  is  at 
the  head  of  the  class  of  duties ;  all  others  begin  here. 
Even  the  grand  secret  of  successfully  combating  the 
worms, — KEEP  YOUR  BEES  STRONG,  must  take  its  rise 
at  this  point.  With  the  above  motto  acted  upon, 
carried  out  fully,  and  with  perseverance,  you  cannot 
well  fail  to  realize  all  reasonable  expectations.  Avoid 
over-anxiety  for  a  rapid  increase  in  stocks ;  try  and 
be  satisfied  with  one  good  swarm  from  a  stock  annu- 
ally, your  chances  are  better  than  with  more ;  do  not 
anticipate  the  golden  harvest  too  soon.  You  will 
probably  be  necessitated  to  discard  some  of  the  ex- 
travagant reports  of  profits  from  the  apiary.  Yet  you 
will  find  one  stock  trebling,  perhaps  quadrupling  its 
price  or  value  in  products,  while  the  one  beside  it 
does  nothing.  In  some  seasons  particularly  favorable 
your  stocks  collectively,  will  yield  a  return  of  one  or 
two  hundred  per  cent. — in  others,  hardly  make  a  re- 
turn for  trouble.  The  proper  estimate  can  be  made 
only  after  a  number  of  years,  when,  if  they  have  been 
judiciously  managed,  and  your  ideas  have  not  been 
too  extravagant,  you  will  be  fully  satisfied.  I  have 
known  a  single  stock  in  one  season  to  produce  more 
than  twenty  dollars  in  swarms  and  honey,  and  ninety 
stocks  to  produce  over  nine  hundred  dollars,  when  a 
few  of  the  number  added  not  a  farthing  to  the  amount. 
I  do  not' wish  to  hold  out  inducements  for  any  one  to 
commence  bee-keeping,  and  end  it  in  disgust  and  dis- 
appointment. But  I  would  encourage  all  suitable 
persons  to  try  their  skill  in  bee  management.  I  say 
suitable  persons,  because  there  are  many,  very  many, 


874  CONCLUSION". 

not  qualified  for  the  charge.  The  careless,  inattentive 
man,  who  leaves  his  bees  unnoticed  from  October 
till  May,  will  be  likely  to  comolain  of  ill  success. 

Whoever  cannot  find  time  to  give  his  bees  the 
needed  care,  but  can  spend  an  hour  each  day  obtain- 
ing gossip  at  the  neighborhood  tavern,  is  unfit  for 
this  business.  But  he  who  has  a  home,  and  finds  his 
affections  beginning  to  be  divided  between  that  and 
his  companions  of  the  bar-room,  and  wishes  to  with- 
draw his  interest  from  unprofitable  associates,  and  yet 
has  nothing  of  sufficient  power  to  break  the  bond,  to 
what  can  he  apply  with  a  better  prospect  of  success, 
than  to  engage  in  keeping  bees  ?  They  make  ample 
returns  for  each  little  care.  Pecuniary  advantages 
are  not  all  that  may  be  gained — a  great  many  points 
concerning  their  natural  history  are  yet  in  the  dark, 
and  many  are  disputed.  Would  it  not  be  a  source  of 
satisfaction  to  be  able  to  contribute  a  few  more  facts 
to  this  interesting  subject,  adding  to  the  science,  and 
holding  a  share  in  the  general  fund  ?  Supposing  all 
the  mysteries  pertaining  to  their  economy  discovered 
and  elucidated,  precluding  all  chance  of  further  ad- 
ditions, would  the  study  be  dry  and  monotonous? 
On  the  contrary,  the  verification  witnessed  by  our. 
selves  would  be  so  fascinating  and  instructive,  that  we 
cannot  avoid  pitying  the  condition  of  that  man  who 
finds  gratification  only  in  the  gross  and  sensual.  It 
has  been  remarked,  that  "he  who  cannot  find  in  this 
and  other  branches  of  natural  history  a  salutary  exer- 
cise for  his  mental  faculties,  inducing  a  habit  of  ob- 
servation and  reflection,  a  pleasure  so  easily  obtained, 


CONCLUSION.  875 

unalloyed  by  any  debasing  mixture — tending  to  ex- 
pand and  harmonize  bis  mind,  and  elevate  it  to  con- 
ceptions of  the  majestic,  sublime,  serene,  and  beautiful 
arrangements  instituted  by  the  Grod  of  nature,  must 
possess  an  organization  sadly  deficient,  or  be  surround- 
ed by  circumstances  indeed  lamentable."  I  would 
recommend  the  study  of  the  honey-bee  as  one  best 
calculated  to  awaken  the  interest  of  the  indifferent. 
What  can  arrest  the  attention  like  their  structure — 
their  diligence  in  collecting  stores  for  the  future — their 
secretion  of  wax  and  moulding  it  into  structures  with 
a  mathematical  precision  astonishing  the  profoundest 
philosophers — their  maternal  and  fraternal  affection 
in  regarding  the  mother's  every  want,  and  assiduous 
care  in  nursing  her  offspring  to  maturity — their  unac- 
countable display  of  instinct  in  emergencies  or  acci- 
dents, filling  the  beholder  with  wonder  and  amaze- 
ment ?  The  mind  thus  contemplating  such  astonishing 
operations,  cannot  well  avoid  looking  beyond  these 
results  to  their  divine  Author.  Therefore  let  every 
mind  that  perceives  one  ray  of  light  from  nature's 
mysterious  transactions,  and  is  capable  of  receiving 
the  least  enjoyment  therefrom,  pursue  the  path  still 
inviting  onward  in  the  pursuit.  Every  new  acqui- 
sition will  bring  an  additional  satisfaction,  and  assist 
in  the  next  attempt,  which  will  be  commenced  with  a 
renewed  and  constantly  increasing  zest ;  and  will 
arise  from  the  contemplation  a  wiser,  better,  and  a 
nobler  being,  far  superior  to  those  who  have  never 
soared  beyond  the  gratifications  of  the  mere  animal, 
grovelhng  in  the  dark.     Is  there,  in  the  whole  circle 


376  CONCLUSION. 

of  nature's  exhaustless  storehouse,  auy  one  science 
more  inviting  than  this?  What  more  exalting  and 
refining,  and  at  the  same  time  making  a  return  ii 
profits  as  a  pecuniary  reward  ? 


877 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


"  We  do  not  know  what  better  proof  could  be  given  of  the  value 
of  Mr.  Quinbt's  teachings  in  reference  to  the  best  method  of  keep- 
ing bees,  than  the  results  he  himself  yearly  arrives  at.  Two  or 
three  years  ago  we  noticed  as  a  remarkable  fact,  that  he  brought 
to  this  market  4,000  pounds  of  nice  honey.  But  the  present  year 
he  has  sold  here  22,000  pounds !  all  produced  by  himself  and  im- 
mediate neighbors." — American  Ageicdltukist,  N.  Y. 


"  We  co,n  safely  recommend  Quinby's  '  Mysteries  of  Bee-keeping.' " 
— Country  Gentleman,  Albany. 


"  We  know  Mr.  Quinby  to  be  one  of  the  best  informed  men  on 
the  subject  of  the  Honey  Bee,  in  America.  We  speak  advisedly, 
for  we  have  visited  his  place,  and  witnessed  the  operatiens  of  his 
interesting  and  numerous  family.'" — Valley  Farmer,  Ky. 


"  The  work  you  need  is  entitled,  '  Mysteries  of  Bee-keeping  Ex- 
plained.' " — Life  Illustrated,  N.  Y. 


"  I  shall  here  quote  from  one  of  the  most  common-sense  works  on 
practical  bee-keeping  which  has  ever  been  written  in  our  language^ 
and  which  I  would  strongly  recommend  every  bee-keeper  to  pur- 
chase ;  I  refer  to  the  '  Mysteries,  ^c.,'  by  M.  Quinby.  This  treatisu 
bears  marks  on  almost  every  page,  of  being  the  work  of  an  accurate, 
experienced  and  thoroughly  honest  observer." — L.  L.  Langstroth, 
author  of  "  Hive  and  Honey  Bee." 


All  the  Books  on  this  Catalogue  sent  hy  mail,  to  any  part 
of  the  Union,  postage  paid 


BOOKS    FOE   THE    COUNTRY, 


PUBLISHED    BY 


C.  M.  SAXTON  &  CO., 

liO  FULTON  STREET,  NEW  YORK, 

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Downing's  (A.  J.)  Landscape  Gardening. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Landscape  Gardening.  Adapted  to  North 
America,  with  a  view  to  the  Improvement  of  Country  Residences,  comprising  Ills- 
torkal  Notices  ano  General  Principles  of  the  Art.  Directions  for  Laying  out  Grouiida 
and  Arranging  Plantations,  the  Description  and  Cultivation  of  Hardy  Trees,  Decora- 
tion Accompaniments  to  the  House  and  Grouad,  the  Formation  of  Pieces  of  Artificial 
Water,  Flower  Gardens,  etc.,  with  Remarks  on  Rural  Architecture.  Elegantly  illus- 
trated, with  a  Portrait  of  the  Author.    By  A.  J.  Downing.    Price  $3  60. 

Downing's  (A.  J.)  Rnral  Essays. 

On  Horticulture,  Landscape  Gardening,  Rural  Architecture,  Trees,  Agriculture,  Fruit, 
with  his  Letters  from  England.  Edited,  with  a  Memoir  of  the  Author,  by  George 
Wm.  Curtis,  and  a  letter  to  his  friends  by  Frederika  Bremer;  taid  an  elegant  steel 
Portrait  of  the  Author.     Price  |3. 

The  Practical  Frnit,  Flower,  and  Kitchen  Gardener's  Com- 

panion,  with  a  Calendar.  By  Patrick  Neill,  LL.  D,,  F.  R  S.  E.,  Secretary  to  the  Royal 
Caledonian  Horticultural  Society.  Adapted  to  the  United  States,  from  the  fourth 
edition,  revised  and  improved  by  the  author.  Edited  by  G.  Emerson,  M.  D.,  Editor 
of  ".Johnson's  Farmers  Encyclopedia."  With  Notes  and  Additions  by  E.  G.  Pardee 
author  of  '-Manual  of  the  Strawberry  Culture."    With  illustrations.    Price  f  I. 

Mnnn's  (B.)  Practical  Land  Drainer; 

Biini:  a  Treatise  on  Draining  Land,  in  which  the  most  approved  systems  of  Drainage 
are  explaimd,  and  their  differences  and  comparative  merits  discussed;  with  fulS 
Directions  for  the  Cuttii'g  and  Making  of  Drains,  with  Remarks  upon  the  var'o'ia 
Materials  of  which  they  may  be  composed.  With  many  illustrations.  By  B.  ?dni!ii, 
LandbC!ii>e  Gardener.     Price  60  cts, 

Elliot's  (F.  R.)  American  Fruit-Grower's  Guide  in  Orchard 

And  Qardon:  being  a  Compend  of  the  History,  Modes  of  Propagation,  Culturt-.  &a, 
of  Frui*.  ■^rees,  and  Shrub-s  with  descriptions  of  nearly  all  the  varieties  of  Fruiis  c  iil- 
tlvai^d  *■,  »^is  country;  and  Notes  of  their  adaptation  to  localllie*  soils,  and  a  com- 
pl«t«>  '.»>  -f  Frtilts  worthy  o(  cultivation.  By  F.  B.  Elliot,  Pomologist.  Price  >1  i» 
1 


2  Books  Published  by  C.  M,  Sazton  <fe  Co. 

Pardee  (R.  Q.)  on  Strawberry  Culture. 

A  Complete!  Mnnual  for  the  Cultivation  of  the  Stra^vberry;  with  a  description  of  Int 
best  varieties. 

Also,  Notices  of  the  Raspberry,  Blackberry,  Currant,  Gooseberry,  and  Grape;  with 
directions  for  their  cultivation,  and  the  selection  of  the  best  varieties.  "Every  pro. 
cess  hero  recommended  has  been  proved,  the  plans  of  others  tried,  and  the  rc.-iilt  U 
here  fj;iven."  With  a  valuable  Appendi.^,  containing  the  observations  and  exj-erien,'* 
ofsome  of  the  most  successful  cultivators  of  these  fruits  in  our  country.     Price  61  cit.U 

Dana's  Muck  Manual  for  the  use  of  Fanners. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Physical  and  Chemical  Properties  of  Soils,  the  Chemiatry  ot 
ilanures  ;  including  also  the  subjects  Of  composts,  artificial  manures  and  irrigation 
A  new  edition,  with  a  chapter  on  Bones  and  Superphosphates.    $1. 

The  Stable  Book. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Management  of  Horses,  in  relation  to  Stabling,  Grooming,  Feed 
ing,  Watering,  and  Working,  Construction  of  Stables,  Ventilation,  Appendages  ol 
Stables,  Management  of  the  Feet,  and  Management  of  Diseased  and  Defeiiivf 
Horses.  By  John  Stewart,  Veterinary  Surgeon.  With  notes  and  additions  kdaptiny 
It  to  American  Food  and  Climate.  By  A,  B.  Allen,  editor  of  the  American  Agr  cul 
lurist.     $1. 

Chorlton's  Grape  Grower's  Guide. 

Intended  especially  for  the  American  Climate.  Being  a,  Practical  Treatise  on  the 
CLiltiviition  of  the  Grape  Vine  in  each  department  of  Hot  House,  Cold  Grapery, 
'^etardins  Honse,  and  Out-door  Culture.  With  plans  for  the  construction  irf  the 
requisite  buildiugs,and  giving  the  best  methods  of  heating  the  same.  Every  depart- 
ment being  fully  illustrated.  By  William  Chorlton,  author  of  "  The  Cold  Grapery," 
Ac     Trice  60  cts. 

White's  (W.  N.)  Gardening  for  the  South : 

Or,  the  Kitchen  and  Fruit  Garden,  -with  the  best  methods  for  their  Cnltivation  ; 

together  with  hints  upon  Landscape  and  Flower  Gardening;  containing  modes  of 
culture  and  descriptions  of  the  species  and  varieties  of  the  Culinary  A^egetables, 
IVuit  Trees  and  Fruits,  and  a  select  list  of  Ornamental  Trees  and  Plants,  fonnd  by 
trial  adapted  to  the  States  of  the  Union  south  of  Pennsylvania,  with  Gardening 
Calendars  for  the  same.    By  Wm.  N.  White,  (f  Athens,  Georgia.    Price  $1  25. 

Eastwood's  (B.)  Manual  for  the  Ciilivation  of  the  Cranberry. 

with  a  description  of  the  best  varieties.  By  B.  Eastwood,  "  Septimus"  of  the  New 
York  Tribune.    Price  60  cts. 

Johnson's  (Geo.  W.)  Dictionary  of  Modern  Gardening. 

With  One  Hundred  and  Eighty  Wood  Cuts.  Ef'ltcd,  with  numerous  additlon^  by 
David  Landreth,  of  Philadelpliia.    Price  $1  50. 

Persoz'    Culture  of  the  Vine. 

A  New  Process  for  the  Culture  of  the  Vine,  by  Persoz,  Professor  to  the  Faculty  of 
Sciences  of  Strasbourg;  directing  Professor  of  the  School  of  Pharmacy  of  Iho  sam« 
city.  Translatad  by  J.  0.  C.  Barclay,  Surged.  U.  S.  N.  Price,  paper,  25  cent* 
cloth,  50  cents. 


Books  Published  by  C.  M.  Saxton  d;  Co. 


Johnston  s  (James  F.  W.)  Catechism  of  Agricultural  Chemis- 

try  and  Geolo?y.  By  James  F.  W.  Johnston,  M.  A .  F.  R.  SS.  L.  and  E.,  Honorary 
Membarofthe  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  and  author  of  "  Lectures  on 
Agr,- .iiral  Chemistry  and  Geology."  With  an  Introduction  by  John  Pitkin  Nor- 
ton, M.  A.,  late  Professor  of  Scientific  Agriculture  in  Tale  Collese.  With  Notes  and 
Add.tiune  by  the  Author,  prepared  expressly  for  this  edition,  and  an  Appendix  com- 
l-Leo  by  the  Superintendent  of  Education  in  Nova  Scotia.  Adapted  to  the  u.so  vt 
sclioiils.     Price  25  ct-s. 

Jf.hnstcn's  (James  F.  W.)  Agricultural  Chemistry, 

Lectures  on  tlie  Applicaiicn  of  Chemistry  and  Geology  to  Agriculture.  New  edil  inn, 
with  an  Api  endix.,  coi.taining  the  Author's  Experimentfl  in  Practical  Agricnlturo,  *1.25»' 

Smith's  (C.  H.  J.)  Landicape  Gardening,  Parks  and  Pleasure 

Gidunds.  With  Practical  Notes  on  Country  Residences,  Villas,  Public  Parks,  and 
Gardens.  By  Charles  il.  J.  Smith,  Landscape  Gardener  and  Garden  Archited'  &c 
With  Notes  and  Additions  by  Lewis  F.  Allen,  author  of  "Rural  Architectur,,"  &c. 

Tlie  author,  while  engaged  in  his  profession  for  the  last  eighteen  years,  lias  often 
been  requested  to  recommend  a  book  which  might  enuble  persons  to  acquire  som* 
general  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  Landscape  Gardening. 

The  object  of  the  present  work  is  to  preserve  a  plain  and  direct  method  of  sta:euieiit, 
to  be  intelligible  to  a  1  who  have  had  an  ordinary  education,  and  to  give  directions 
which,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  found  to  be  practical  by  those  who  have  an  adequal* 
knowledge  of  country  affairs.     Price  $1  25. 

Norton's  (John  Pj  Elements  of  Scientific  Agriculture; 

Or,  the  Connexion  between  Science  and  the  Art  of  Practical  Farming.  (Prize  E-,=ay 
of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society.)  By  John  P.  Norton,  M.  A  ,  Professi.r 
of  Scientific  Agriculture  11  Yale  College.  Adapted  to  the  ub«  of  Schools.  Price  60 
eenta^ 

Nash's  (J.  A.)  Progressive  Farmer. 

A  Scientific  Treatise  on  Agricultural  Chemistry,  the  Geology  of  Agricnltnre,  on  Plant* 
and  Ar.imals,  Manures  and  Soils  applied  to  Practical  Agriculture;  with  a  Catechism 
of  Scientific  and  Practical  Agriculture.    By  J.  A.  Nash.    Price  60  cents. 

Chorlton's  (Wm.)  Cold  Grapery.    ' 

From  direct  American  Practice:  being  a  concise  and  detailed  Treatise  on  the  CnltiTa- 
tion  of  the  Exotic  Grape  Vine,  under  Glass  without  artificial  heat.  By  Wm.  Cborl- 
ton.  Gardener  to  J.  C.  Green,  Esq ,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y.    Price  &')  cents. 

Allen  (J.  Fiskl  on  the  Culture  of  the  Grape. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Culture  and  Treatment  of  the  Grape  Vine,  embracing  Iti 
history,  with  directions  for  its  treatment  in  the  United  States  of  America,  in  the  open 
ai-  and  under  glass  structures,  with  and  without  artificial  heat  By  J.  Fisk  Allen. 
Price  $1. 

Iloare  (Clement)  on  the  Grape  Vine. 

A  Practical  Treatise,  on  the  Cultivation  of  the  Grape  Vine  on  Open  Walls,  with  • 
Descriptive  Accnunt  of  an  improved  method  of  Planting  and  Si«nfic;ins;  the  K.f'U  <J 
©rape  Vines.  By  Clement  Hours.  With  an  Appendix  on  the  CQlilvalioa  of  tl;--  esca* 
1»  the  Un'ted  States.    50  c«<Bt«. 


JjooJcs  Puhliahed  hy  C.  M.  Snxlon  d  Co. 


Mysteries  of  Bee-keeping  Explained ; 

Being  a  Complete  Analysis  of  the  whole  subject,  consisting  of  the  Natural  History  ol 
Bees;  Directions  for  Obtaining  the  greatest  amount  of  Pure  Surplus  Honey  with  the 
least  po.-'sible  expense;  Remedies  for  Losses  given,  and  the  Science  of  Luck,  fully 
illustrated;  the  re!>ult  of  more  than  twenty  years'  experience  in  extensive  Apiul«& 
By  M.  Quiuby.     Price  |1. 

American  Bee-keeper's  Manual; 

Being  a  Practical  Treatise  on  the  History  and  Domestic  Economy  of  the  Honey  B*«  , 
embracing  a  full  illustration  of  the  %vho!e  subject,  with  the  most  approved  methods  ii 
managing  this  Insoct,  through  every  branch  of  its  Culture;  the  result  of  many  years 
experience     Illustrated  with  many  engravings.     By  T.  B.  Miner.    Cloth,  $1, 

The  Cottage  and  Farm  Bee-keeper ; 

A  Practical  Work,  by  a  Country  Curate,    50  cents. 

Weeks  (John  M.)  on  Bees.— A  Manual; 

Or,  an  Easy  Method  of  Managing  Bees  In  the  most  iiroflfable  manner  to  their  owner; 
with  infallible  rules  to  prevent  their  destruction  by  the  Moth.  With  an  Appendix  bf 
Woostcr  A.  Flanders.    Price  50  cts. 

The  Eose; 

Being  a  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Propagation,  Cultivation,  and  Management  of  th« 
Kose  in  all  Seasons;  with  a  List  of  Choice  and  Apjiroved  Varieties,  adapted  to  th« 
Climate  of  the  United  States;  to  which  is  added  Full  Directions  for  the  Treatment  ol 
the  Dahlia.    Illustrated  by  engravings.    Cloth,  50  cts. 

Buist's  (Robert)  American  Flower-Garden  Directory; 

Containing  Practical  Directions  for  the  Culture  of  Plants,  In  the  Flower-Garden,  Hot- 
House.  Green-House,  Kooms,  or  Parlor  Windows,  for  every  Month  in  the  Tear;  with 
8  description  of  the  Plants  most  desirable  in  each,  the  Nature  of  the  Soil  and  Situation 
best  adapted  to  their  Growth,  the  Proper  Season  for  Transplanting,  &c. ;  with  Instruc- 
tions for  electing  a  Hot-llouae,  Gr»pn-House,  and  Laying  out  a  Flower-Garden;  th6 
whole  adat>te(l  to  either  large  or  small  Gardens;  with  Instructions  for  Preparing  the 
Soil.  Propagating,  Planting,  Pruning,  Training,  and  Fruiting  the  Grape  Vine.  Price 
$1  25. 

Baists'  (Robert)  Family  Kitchen  Gardener; 

('o.itainiiig  Plain  and  Accurate  Description.s  of  all  the  different  Species  and  Varieties 
of  Culinary  Vegetables,  with  their  Botanical,  English,  French,  and  German  iiam.'S, 
alphabetically  arranged,  and  the  best  mode  of  cuUivating  them  in  the  garden  or  under 
glass;  alt«),  Descriptions  and  Character  of  the  most  Select  Fruits,  their  Manageini-nt, 
Propagaiion,  &c.  By  Robert  Buist,  author  of  the  "American  Flower-Garden  Dlreo- 
tory,"'  Ac    Cloth,  75  cts. ;  paper  50  cts. 

The  American  Florist's  Guiae; 

Cimpn>in2  the  An  rf'-nti  Uo  e  Culturi^t  and  Kvcry  Lady  her  own  Flower  0».ti«ifi<i« 
Hail  tlotli.  ;,>ri>.  J  / 


'Hm 


mow 


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